MELBOURNE.- In 50 days the National Gallery of Victoria will open Melbourne Now, the largest and most ambitious exhibition in its history. The NGV has today revealed the list of over 300 artists, architects, designers and creative practitioners who are participating in this landmark exhibition.

Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV said: “Melbourne has a dynamic creative identity, and through several key themes such as the poetics of place, history and memory, independent production, play and participation, visitors to Melbourne Now can explore the complexity of the city’s creativity in a major exhibition over the summer months.

“Although it is still 50 days until the exhibition officially opens, the NGV is fully focused behind-the-scenes as we work to transform exhibition spaces, produce a suite of five publications and prepare for this landmark contemporary art exhibition.

“We are delighted to announce the full list of artists, designers and architects as well as program highlights on the 50th day out from Melbourne Now, and we look forward to welcoming everyone to this free exhibition in November,” said Mr Ellwood.

Melbourne Now will present major new commissions and a range of new works by leading emerging and established artists. Visual arts projects encompass the fullest range of contemporary art disciplines and practices, from painting, sculpture, drawing, ceramics and contemporary jewellery, to photography, video, sound, performance, installation and online projects.

In addition to the involvement of over 20 NGV curators, Melbourne Now involves more than 10 guest curators who have contributed to specific areas such as architecture, design, dance and sound programming, as well as artists who have been invited to respond to the NGV Collection, or to develop dedicated ‘exhibitions within the exhibition’.

As well as a diverse exhibition offering, located at the entrance to NGV International is Community Hall, an architecturally designed space created by the architectural firm McBride Charles Ryan. This highly participatory space will serve as a workshop, stage, platform and catwalk, hosting a rotating program of over 600 events throughout Melbourne Now.

In the spirit of ‘community halls’ across this city, the NGV is calling all passionate enthusiasts, collectors, students and hobbyists of Melbourne to get involved with our Community Hall. For more information visit the NGV Blog.

Melbourne Now has been made possible through the generosity of the State Government of Victoria, Principal Partner Mercedes-Benz, Major Partners Ernst & Young, Bank of Melbourne, City of Melbourne and Higgins Coatings, Learning Partner La Trobe University and Partner the Australia Council for the Arts. This vital support, along with the generosity of Melbourne Now Champions the Dewhurst Family and Robin Campbell and Bruce Parncutt, Melbourne Now Major Donor the Spotlight Charitable Foundation as well as a number of individual donors and philanthropic foundations has allowed the NGV to stage this exhibition.