Pulau (Island) by Melanie Lane is a site-specific response to Yayoi Kusama’s body of work, presented as part of Australia’s major triennial of Asia-Pacific performance. Asia TOPA.
Commissioned especially for Asia TOPA and the NGV’s landmark Yayoi Kusama exhibition, Pulau (Island) will be performed in the NGV’s Great Hall, beneath Kusama’s suspended yellow-and-black polka-dotted spheres, Dots Obsession 1996/2024.
On the floor below the installation sits an island where three bodies will appear to perform a ritual of metamorphosis and endurance; merging and transforming into mythic figures to embody acts of resistance, pleasure and protection.
Pulau draws on the notion of the island as a place of secrets: an abundant source of metaphor, fantasy and allegory.
Pulau is a reflection on Melanie Lane’s encounter with the work of Kusama, whose obsession with the obliteration of the body and immersive world-building echo that of Lane’s own choreographic work.
Melanie Lane is an Australian choreographer and performer of Australian/Javanese heritage. As one of Australia’s leading choreographic voices, her ambitious creations often transcend the world of contemporary dance and have been presented internationally at major festivals and venues in Europe, Australia and Asia. Melanie’s recent commissions for Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move, West Australian Ballet and Australasian Dance Collective have received critical acclaim.
Performances will take place on 22 and 23 February. Bookings are essential.
