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A major exhibition celebrating the work of South Sudanese, Melbourne-based contemporary artist Atong Atem is set to open at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia.
Recognised as one of Australia’s leading rising talents, Atong is known for her vibrant photographic self-portraits that explore questions around identity, mythmaking, and the power of culture.
As both the subject and storyteller, Atong often transforms herself through textiles, paint, costume, and symbolic objects to create photographic moments that leave a lasting impact.
Passage: The Art of Atong Atem brings together more than 65 works, surveying the past decade of the artist’s practice, making it the most comprehensive presentation of her work to date.
In true Atong form, the showcase is both personal and political, influenced by her family’s own experience migrating to Australia in 1997.
This intergenerational journey shines in the exhibition, whether in the moving collection of self-portraits that directly recreate images of her relatives or the representation of Melbourne’s African diaspora.
Other highlights include the Australian premiere of Scars and Constellations, a photographic series commissioned by the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.
The retrospective also culminates with a large-scale wall installation — created exclusively for the NGV — that weaves together stories around Dinka dance, traditional beading, and Catholic iconography, set within imagery of the night sky.
Don’t miss this exciting exhibition, which triumphantly cements Atong’s position as one of the most exciting artists of her generation.
