It was the decade that gave us Nirvana, eBay, the Mabo decision, John Howard – and some of the best Australian art. Every Brilliant Eye – named for Died Pretty's 1990 album – captures the art of the time (drawing from the NGV collection), but also the issues and societal changes that sparked it: third-wave feminism, identity politics, the history wars of the Howard era, British club culture, American grunge, the World Wide Web, cyborg culture, and so on.
Artists presented include Kathy Temin, Ricky Swallow, Kristin Headlam, Melbourne art collective DAMP, David McDiarmind, Patricia Piccininni, Annette Bezor, Tracey Moffatt, Anne Ferran, Gordon Bennett, Juan Davila, Constanze Zikos, Emily Kam Kngwarray, Yvonne Koolmatrie and Judy Watson.
There is also a public program of screenings, talks and panels.