Head and shoulders of a person, their eyes glowing with white contact lenses, touching their inky black hair with their hands which are painted with a greyish chalky substance.

22 – 23 Feb

Pulau (Island)

Pulau (Island) is a site-specific response to Yayoi Kusama’s iconic body of work.

Commissioned especially for Asia TOPA and the National Gallery of Victoria's landmark Yayoi Kusama exhibition, Pulau is performed in the NGV’s Great Hall, beneath Kusama's seminal installation Dots Obsession 1996/2024. On the floor below the installations is an island. In this dark, inky haven, three bodies appear. With eyes glowing, they perform a ritual of metamorphosis and endurance; merging and transforming into mythic figures to embody acts of resistance, pleasure and protection. Pulau draws on the notion of the island as a place of secrets: an abundant source of metaphor, fantasy and allegory.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to experience the NGV after hours, encountering Kusama’s works Dancing Pumpkin and Narcissus Garden in the NGV foyer spaces as you arrive, before being invited in to witness choreographer and dancer Melanie Lane’s site-specific performance.