Five exhibitions and events to see now at State Library Victoria

Returning for a third year, the multi-venue festival Now or Never is taking over some of Melbourne’s most well-known buildings, including the State Library Victoria. This year's jam-packed program includes Library Up Late, a one-night takeover where attendees can hear from curators and gain access to the institution's latest exhibition Creative Acts after the sun sets. There’ll also be live art, tarot readings, a brass performance on the Dome balcony, and an incredible chamber choir, plus a dynamic dancefloor featuring DJ sets by the likes of multi-disciplinary artist Darren Sylvester, and ballroom performances by House of Furia.

While you’re there, take ten minutes to catch the looped installation projected onto the library’s exterior which is free to view for the duration of Now or Never. The hypnotic and immersive projection of flowing visuals was conceptualized by the Barcelona-based artistic duo Hamill Industries. Library Up Late is happening on August 22, with tickets starting from $25. Get yours here.

Get a closer look at some of the rarest books in the world from the last 4,000 years as the World of the Book exhibition returns for its 20th anniversary. The free event, which runs until May 17, features more than 300 rare, remarkable and historically significant items from the State Collection – from a cuneiform tablet dated to c. 2050 BCE, to Andy Griffiths’s iconic Treehouse series.

World of the Book has been running since 2005 and attracts around half a million visitors each year, making it the longest-running and most popular book exhibition in Australia. This year it has never-before-seen items as well as some that haven't been on display since the exhibition began in 2005.

Among the line-up, you’ll find a medieval scribal knife dated to the 15th century and the earliest recorded example of mass printed text in the world – the Hyakumantō Darani, a paper scroll produced in Japan more than 1,250 years ago. Both of these will be on display for the first time in Australia. There’s also a set of Chinese-English phrasebooks produced in 1862 during the Gold Rush and the oldest book in Australia, De institutione musica (The Principles of Music), a seminal work on the theory of music dated to c. 1100 CE. 

You’ll also travel through the evolution of manga from Hokusai to Astro Boy; the history of women translators of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and female and non-binary utopias and dystopias, including works by Margaret Atwood.

In the age of AI, misinformation has never spread more easily. A new exhibition at the State Library Victoria explores this pressing issue through four compelling case studies, examining the impact of misinformation on our planet, bodies, histories and freedoms. Make Believe aims to equip visitors with the tools to navigate today’s information-saturated world. Hear from Wiradjuri and Ngiyampaa artist Charlotte Allingham as she reclaims the myth of terra nullius by restoring Blak presence to outdated advertising; artist Scotty So uses beauty, queerness and humor to examine the deepfake era; a trio of professors will expose how centuries of misinformation around female anatomy still shapes the medical world today; and Dr Sofi Basseghi will draw on her Iranian heritage to show how women’s voices endure in the face of suppression. Entry is free and the exhibition runs until January 2026.

What is creativity? Where does it come from? And how does it work? In Creative Acts, explore the process, passion and practice of five visionary Australian artists – Peter Carey, Dr Deanne Gilson, Barry William Hale, Bundit Puangthong and Dr Chandrabhanu OAM – through new works commissioned by State Library Victoria. Discover how author Peter Carey’s decades-long obsession with Ned Kelly drove him to write True History of the Kelly Gang, and how celebrated painter Bundit Puangthong was influenced by his training in traditional Thai temple painting and Melbourne’s graffiti scene. The exhibition also reveals how Joan Lindsay’s Picnic at Hanging Rock came to her from a series of dreams, how Howard Arkley’s Tudor Village series was inspired by Melbourne’s Fitzroy Gardens, and how bohemian legend Vali Myers drew from her spiritual connections with animals. With close to 600 artefacts on display, you can peek behind the curtains of creativity and discover the intense forces that drive artists to bring something entirely new into being. Creative Acts is free to visit and on from August 15. 

This after-hours conversation series returns for its third year with four parts, and it's hosted by author and broadcaster Jamila Rizvi. In the spirit of literary salons, Salon After D’Arc will bring together the brilliant minds of writers and artists for an evening of curated talks that delve into the depths of the library’s collection. Previous topics have discussed everything from misinformation to the gender gaps in medical information. For its next iteration on September 10, panellists will explore the mysterious link between sleep, stories and the imagination. Tickets are on sale now from $25 and include a cocktail on arrival and access to view the library’s collection after hours.

Find the full program here.