Relaxed sessions are an opportunity for visitors who could benefit from a quieter Gallery experience to access NGV exhibitions with fewer people and reduced sensory stimuli. This may include people with autism, disability, dementia or chronic illness conditions.

Depending on the exhibition on display, some sound, lighting or video elements may be turned off or lowered for the session.

The Relaxed Sessions: Yayoi Kusama take place at NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne.

For information on getting here, see Plan Your Visit

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.

The NGV will be open from 8am for visitors who have booked to attend the Relaxed Morning. You can arrive any time between 8am and 10am.

The session will end at 10am, when the Gallery will open to the public. Visitors to the Relaxed Session are welcome to stay in the Gallery once the session has concluded, however the Gallery will become busier and louder from 10am onwards.

The NGV will be open from 5:30pm for visitors who have booked to attend the Relaxed Evening. You can arrive any time between 5:30 and 7:30pm.

The gallery spaces will close at 7:30pm, and you will have time to use the bathrooms, visit the store or the cloakroom before the building closes at 8pm.

Visitors need to book a ticket to attend a Relaxed Session (this includes Relaxed Mornings and Relaxed Evenings).

The Relaxed Sessions for Yayoi Kusama are now booked out.

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 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.

There are accessible bathrooms and gender-neutral bathrooms.

Baby change facilities are available with a dedicated parents’ room which provides a quiet space for families plus private feeding space and a microwave.

A Changing Places bathroom is located nearby at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall, approximately 600 metres from NGV Australia. The most accessible path is through the Fed Square Atrium and along Flinders Street.

Visit the Arts Centre Melbourne website for more information.

Guide Dogs and other 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 Gallery Kitchen cafe will be open if you’d like to purchase food and drink. You are also welcome to bring food from home and eat it in the Great Hall or NGV Garden.

Food and drinks can’t be taken into gallery spaces.

There is a free water refill tap between the Gallery Kitchen cafe and the lift.

The Great Hall and NGV Garden are good places to rest or stretch your legs.

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.

The NGV Garden has seating and shaded areas. The 2024 Architecture Commission, Home Truth by Breathe will be open for you to explore. There is a climbing frame in the back left-hand side of the NGV Garden.

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 Guide & 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.

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.

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.

Visit our dedicated Access page for more resources and information about accessible facilities and services at 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