Melbourne’s art calendar is set for a major moment in 2026, with the NGV announcing the first-ever large-scale solo exhibition of South Sudanese, Melbourne-based artist Atong Atem.
Opening at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia on 30 October 2026, Passage: The Art of Atong Atem brings together more than 65 works spanning the past decade of Atem’s celebrated photographic practice. It marks the most comprehensive presentation of her work to date and includes several world and Australian premieres.
Known for her striking self-portraits, Atem uses photography to explore identity, migration, race, gender and memory. Across the exhibition, she transforms herself through textiles, paint, costume and symbolic objects, creating images that blend personal history with imagination and cultural storytelling. Her work also celebrates the resilience and beauty of Dinka Bor culture and Melbourne’s African diaspora communities.
The exhibition traces themes of movement and belonging, shaped by Atem’s own experience of migration. Born in Ethiopia to South Sudanese parents, Atem moved to Australia with her family in 1997. Through her portraits, she reflects on displacement, ancestry and the stories carried across generations.
Among the highlights is the Australian premiere of Scars and Constellations, 2024, originally commissioned by the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam. The series explores colonial trade histories, navigation and the cultural significance of scarification within Dinka Bor traditions.
Visitors will also experience As Above, a major new commission created exclusively for the exhibition. The large-scale installation combines Dinka dance, traditional beading and Catholic iconography while referencing the “false cross” star formations that resemble the Southern Cross.
Other featured works include Banksia, 2021, shown for the first time in a major Australian cultural institution, and Surat, 2022, presented in full for the very first time.
Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV, said: “Atong Atem is one of the most exciting artists of her generation, redefining what it means to be Australian in contemporary life and culture.”
Passage: The Art of Atong Atem runs from 30 October 2026 to 2 May 2027 at Fed Square. Entry is free.
For more information, visit the NGV website: NGV Melbourne
