Passage: The Art of Atong Atem is a world-premiere exhibition celebrating the thought-provoking work of South Sudanese-born Melbourne-based contemporary artist Atong Atem. Opening at NGV on October 30, this major solo exhibition brings together more than 65 works spanning the past decade, including a new commission created exclusively for the gallery.
Born in Ethiopia to South Sudanese parents, Atem moved to Australia with her family in 1997. Known for her striking photographic self-portraits, Atem transforms herself through colourful textiles, paint, costume and symbolic objects to explore identity, race, gender and colonialism. Her images weave together history, memory and imagination, celebrating the resilience of her Dinka Bor culture and Melbourne’s African diaspora while challenging how identity is represented and performed. Her work honours cultural traditions and ancestral stories that have endured displacement and war.
A highlight of the exhibition is As Above, a large-scale wall installation exploring the stories held in the skies and constellations. Blending Dinka dance, traditional beading and Catholic iconography, the world-premiere commission brings together different cultural traditions in a striking visual narrative.
The exhibition also presents Banksia (2021), a photographic series made at Melbourne’s Immigration Museum that turns the spotlight on African, African American and Caribbean convicts and free settlers who arrived with the First Fleet.
Meanwhile, Surat (2022) recreates portraits of relatives Atem knows only through family photographs, exploring how images preserve ancestral connections. Drawing on Dinka Bor naming traditions, in which names are inherited to honour ancestors, the series becomes a visual tribute to family, memory and belonging.
Passage: The Art of Atong Atem runs from October 30, 2026 to June 14, 2027 at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. Entry is free.
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