The NGV today announced the largest ever Friday Nights program with eighteen headline acts from December 2015 – April 2016. Since the series commenced in 2013 approximately 72,500 visitors have attended the series, which aims to provide greater access to major exhibitions with added social experiences. For this series visitors will enjoy after-hours access to the ground-breaking contemporary exhibition Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei and see headliners including singer/songwriters Sally Seltmann and Bertie Blackman, international pop champions Twerps, Chinese indie rock band Queen Sea Big Shark, 70s No Wave icon James Chance (US) in his Australian debut and Texan electronic music outfit Neon Indian.
Some performances linking directly with themes from the Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei exhibition include Hawaiian New Zealand-based musician and visual artist Silicon playing tracks from his latest album Personal Computer which ruminates on iPhone factories and Andy Warhol’s The Factory; psychedelic prog rock band Moon Duo (US) will perform with their own visual projections inspired by Andy Warhol’s multimedia Exploding Plastic Inevitable; and a special one-off performance from Regurgitator, will see the alt-rock legends re-interpreting the Velvet Underground’s debut album produced by Andy Warhol.
Tony Ellwood, Director, NGV, said, ‘Friday Nights at NGV has been an enormously successful program, with the nights frequently selling out. We present an extended series in celebration of Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei with an exceptional line up of Australian and international musicians and programs over eighteen Friday Nights. This series will be a unique opportunity to sample live music and discover more about the cultural impact of two very significant artists, Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei.’
A full list of headline acts follows:
Dec 11 – Moon Duo (US)
Dec 18 – Neon Indian (US)
Jan 1 – The Apartments
Jan 8 – Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders
Jan 15 –James Chance & the Contortions (US)
Jan 22 – Jenny Hval (Norway)
Jan 29 – Luluc
Feb 5 – Sally Seltmann
Feb 12 – Twerps
Feb 19 – Black Cab
Feb 26 – Queen Sea Big Shark (China)
Mar 4 – Silicon (NZ)
Mar 11 – Xylouris White
Mar 18 – Bertie Blackman
Apr 1 – Ngaiire
Apr 8 – Blank Realm
Apr 15 – Deradoorian (US)
Apr 22 – Regurgitator
Other highlights include US two-piece Deradoorian; Australian pop songstress Ngaiire, who will set the stage on fire with her powerful future-soul voice and vibrant costumes; and Norwegian avant-garde vocalist Jenny Hval.
The events regularly sell out, so book tickets early for Friday Nights at NGV. See www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program-series/friday-nights/ for details.
NGV Members pre-sale offer: open from 10am Friday 30 October – midnight Thursday 5 November.
Telstra customers’ pre-sale offer: open from 10am Monday 2 November – midnight Thursday 5 November.
General tickets are on sale from Friday 6 November.
Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei will open at the NGV on 11 December 2015 and at The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh in June 2016.
The Friday Nights at the NGV series for Andy Warhol / Ai Weiwei is generously supported by Higgins Coatings.
Friday Nights at NGV
Cost: Online: $24 Member / $30 Adult / $12 Child
On the door: $29 Member / $35 Adult / $15 Child
Time: 6.00pm – 10.00pm
Location: NGV International