The Future & Other Fictions exhibition, premiering at ACMI from 28 November 2024 to 27 April 2025, invites visitors to rethink how the future is imagined through the lens of film, videogames, and screen-based art.
Co-curated by Gunai/Kurnai ACMI curator Amanda Haskard and futurist filmmaker Liam Young, this exhibition showcases how screen culture shapes a more optimistic world.
Visitors can explore the creative process behind famous works, including Academy Award-winning costumes from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and sets from Blade Runner 2049. Artifacts from games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Saltsea Chronicles will also be on display, alongside futuristic First Nations comic series NEOMAD and Björk’s stunning The Gate music video.
The exhibition highlights new possibilities through Afrofuturism by artist Olalekan Jeyifous and vibrant Tamil dreamscapes from Osheen Siva. Pacific Sisters, a fashion activism collective, will also be featured.
Two new works include a short film by DJ Hannah Brontë and a collaboration between Liam Young and actress Natasha Wanganeen, envisioning a future where fossil fuel production has ceased.
Alongside the exhibition, ACMI Cinemas will present a Björk film season from 28 November to 16 December 2024. This retrospective celebrates Björk’s diverse talents, featuring films like The Juniper Tree (1990), Dancer in the Dark (2000), and the recent Fungi: Web of Life (2023). Other highlights include Tank Girl (1995), Moomins and the Comet Chase (2010), and Björk: Biophilia Live (2014). A free showcase of concert visuals by animation collective LynnFox will also be featured, making it a must-see for fans of Björk’s artistic collaborations.
ACMI Director & CEO Seb Chan said this exhibition reminds us that the way we imagine the future, is shaped by popular film, TV shows, and videogames.
“Many alternative visions of the future can and do exist. From two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter to Italian fashion designer Alessandro Michele; New Zealand’s renowned special effects studio Wētā Workshop to the Pilbara’s own Love Punks,” he said.
“We hope that visitors leave optimistic about what might be possible – and find hope in designing the futures we need.”
The Future & Other Fictions
28 November 2024 – 27 April 2025. Gallery 4, ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne
Tickets: Full $22.50, Under 35s $18, Concession $15, Member $13, Child (4–15) $10, Under 4 and Blak Members FREE. acmi.net.au
Focus on Björk
28 November – 16 December 2024. ACMI Cinemas, ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne
Tickets: Full $20, Concession $16, Member $14. Multi-session passes are available.
