Visitors need to purchase a ticket to attend Friday Nights: Yayoi Kusama.

You can buy tickets:

• online via the NGV Friday Nights webpage
• over the phone by calling (03) 8620 2222 between 9am and 5pm daily.
• or in-person at the NGV.

Once you have entered the exhibition you are able to stay for as long as you wish, or until the event finishes at 10pm.

Children of all ages are warmly welcomed in the Yayoi Kusama exhibition. Some mature themes are depicted in artworks. See the Content section of this page for more information.

NGV Friday Nights takes place at NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne. For information on getting here, see Plan Your Visit.

Events are presented each Friday between 20 December 2024 and 18 April 2025, 6pm to 10pm.

People with access needs are welcome to use the priority line at the entrance. The entrance to NGV International is on street level and has an automatic door. There is a lift from the Arts Centre Melbourne carpark to the NGV International entrance.

The entrance to NGV International is on street level and has an automatic door.

The Yayoi Kusama exhibition and all public areas in the NGV, including the Gallery Kitchen cafe, Garden Restaurant and NGV design store, are wheelchair accessible.

One of the immersive rooms, The Spirits of the Pumpkins Descended into the Heavens, requires visitors to step onto a step to see inside a mirrored cube. An iPad is available to show the inside of the cube for those who are unable to view inside. The exhibition is all on one level, on the ground floor.

Wheelchairs are available for free hire from the information desk. We recommend booking a wheelchair prior to your visit by calling +61 (03) 8620 2222 or making a booking online.

A motorised scooter is available for free hire. We recommend booking it prior to your visit by calling +61 (03) 8620 2222 or emailing ngvenquiries@ngv.vic.gov.au.

A Changing Places bathroom is located nearby at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, approximately 300 metres from NGV International.

Visit the Arts Centre Melbourne website for more information.

Accredited assistance dogs are welcome at the NGV.

Please ensure your assistance dog is wearing their jacket while at the Gallery.

Access aids including self-regulation fidget devices, magnifying sheets and earplugs are available for free hire from the information desk. We recommend booking prior to your visit, by calling 8620 2222 or making a booking online.

The exhibition features painting, sculpture, collage, fashion, video and installation including immersive rooms.

Some artworks depict nudity, and some artworks relate to themes of suicide, death, mental illness, and sexual themes.

With around 200 artworks on display, Yayoi Kusama is a large exhibition that covers most of the ground floor of NGV International.

A number of Yayoi Kusama artworks are on display in the public areas outside the ticketed exhibition area.

The ticketed exhibition areas are split into two parts. Part 1 is on your right as you enter from the Waterwall entrance on St Kilda Road. The entrance to Part 1 is past the NGV Garden Restaurant. The entrance to Part 2 is next to the Gallery Kitchen cafe. See the Sensory Map for more information.

You can take a break in between the two parts of the exhibition and relax in the Great Hall, NGV Garden or Gallery Kitchen. It is recommended that you enter Part 2 by 9pm, to allow yourself an hour to see it before the event finishes at 10pm.

The exhibition follows a set path. If you need assistance exiting quickly, please see a security team member. All security team members are first aid trained.

DJ performances take place in the Great Hall for the duration of the event. See the Friday Nights event page for the DJ line-ups.

We recommend you factor in 2 hours to view the exhibition. You can come and go from the exhibition as you like throughout the night.

The Great Hall is a very large room with carpet and a stained-glass ceiling. Suspended from the ceiling are very large yellow and black inflatable balls.

There a low light levels in the Great Hall, with the DJ stage and bars lit up. Haze effects and coloured lights are used and the music levels are fairly loud. No strobing is used.

The Great Hall is busy and noisy. If you are needing a lower-sensory area, we recommend the nearby NGV Garden, beside the Great Hall, or the area next to Gallery Kitchen in front of the lift.

The NGV Garden will be open for Friday Nights: Yayoi Kusama events with a range of seating options including stools and beanbags. The 2024 Architecture Commission, Home Truth by Breathe will be open for you to explore.

The exhibition presents a series of immersive rooms which use mirrors, patterns and lighting effects. These spaces may be disorientating and difficult to navigate.

For detailed descriptions of each space, see the Yayoi Kusama Sensory Guide.

The sensory map shows the locations of audiovisual content, sensory elements and seating, and can help you prepare for your visit.

Download sensory map

Gallery spaces are air-conditioned and are between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius.

A tour in Auslan will be presented during NGV Friday Nights: Yayoi Kusama on 21 Mar, 6–7pm. Booking is required.

Book now

Visit ngv.melbourne/access for more resources and information about accessible facilities and services for your visit to the NGV.

For further enquiries about how the Gallery can support your access requirements, please contact our team.

ngvenquiries@ngv.vic.gov.au
(03) 8620 2222
9am–5pm, daily