The NGV has released the live music line-up for the return of NGV Friday Nights this summer with three-time Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Nai Palm headlining the opening night on 16 December 2022.
Programmed in conjunction with NGV’s summer blockbuster exhibition, Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, the spectacular drama of Alexander McQueen’s design genius and the late ‘90s London scene inspires the musical line-up and design of this season’s NGV Friday Nights.
The 18-week live music series will feature some of Melbourne’s most creative musical minds spanning disco, glam rock, punk, jazz, and soul. Nai Palm’s magnetic neo-soul sound will fill the NGV’s Great Hall on opening night, with further highlights throughout the series including Electric Fields, Kee’ahn, Banoffee and Billy Davis.
NGV Friday Nights offers late-night access to Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, the first major Australian exhibition to explore the work of Alexander McQueen (1969 – 2010). The exhibition, organised by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), in partnership with the NGV, will showcase 60 garments and accessories drawn from LACMA’s holdings of important works by McQueen alongside more than 50 designs by McQueen from the NGV Collection, making this Australian-exclusive presentation especially rich and comprehensive.
Offering an unprecedented insight into the mind of this seminal designer, McQueen’s work is presented alongside more than 70 historical artworks including painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts and works on paper from the collections of LACMA and NGV, revealing the myriad reference points that influenced his designs.
Evoking the innovation and theatre of McQueen’s famed fashion shows, guests at NGV Friday Nights can view screenings of some of the designer’s most iconic runways throughout the evening in the Great Hall. The runway show screenings, all of which are represented by garments in the exhibition, include Dante 1996, Joan 1998, Horn of Plenty 2006, and the designer’s final runway collection, Plato’s Atlantis 2010.
Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV said: ‘With the NGV Friday Nights series this summer, we are thrilled to once again support leading local and international performers and celebrate artistic innovation through a spectacular presentation of fashion, art and music.’
The NGV Garden will also come alive with live DJ sets in the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom, an evocative reimagining of the Parthenon on the Acropolis adorned with overlapping large-scale artworks by Melbourne-based artists. The Moët Champagne Terrace Bar will light up the Garden serving the iconic Moët Impérial Champagne, Moët Rosé Impérial, plus Moët Minis from the Moët Mini-Matic. At the Four Pillars Gin Bar, guests can enjoy classic G&Ts or an original Four Pillars cocktail.
In the Great Hall, the Yering Station Wine Bar offers fine wines from the Yarra Valley and a wine tasting experience featuring Rosé, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Celebrating Alexander McQueen’s connection to London, visitors to NGV Friday Nights can dine on classic dishes including crispy pork belly, fish and chips, and cheese selections.
NGV Friday Nights line-up:
16 Dec 2022: Nai Palm | C.FRIM
23 Dec 2022: Nikodimos & his Orchestra | Vincent Sole
30 Dec 2022: The Belair Lip Bombs | Billos + Klomp
6 Jan 2023: 30/70 | Zepherin Saint
13 Jan 2023: Emma Volard | Priya
20 Jan 2023: Billy Davis | Simona
27 Jan 2023: Kee’ahn | Adriana
3 Feb 2023: Banoffee | Priya
10 Feb 2023: Niine | Mabel
17 Feb 2023: Electric Fields | Crybaby
24 Feb 2023: Middle Name Dance Band | Afrodisiac
3 Mar 2023: Thibault | DJ JNETT
10 Mar 2023: Aarti Jadu | So Much So Much
17 Mar 2023: Waari | Lucreccia Quintanilla
24 Mar 2023: Elle Shimada Curates: Co-Dreamers Experience | Henry Guala
31 Mar 2023: Teether & Kuya Neil | Ada & Olypso
7 Apr 2023: Komang | Moopie
14 Apr 2023: Izy | Darcy Justice
NGV Friday Nights will run from 16 December 2022 – 14 April 2023 at NGV International, St Kilda Rd, Melbourne. Further information and tickets are available via the NGV website.
Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse will be on display from 11 December 2022 – 16 April 2023 at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Tickets available here. The exhibition opening will coincide with the NGV Gala, an annual event on Saturday 10 December 2022. Information is available here.
Visitors to NGV Friday Nights can also view Freedom of Movement: Contemporary Art and Design from the NGV Collection; and the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom. Live performances by singers and bands will light up the Great Hall from 8.00 pm every Friday while the Temple of Boom in the Grollo Equiset Garden will host DJ sets throughout the evening.
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