Passage: The Art of Atong Atem is a survey of more than a decade of her practice. Bringing together a career-spanning body of work, the exhibition presents portraiture, photography, and textiles that move across Dinka Bor cultural knowledge, ancestral memory, and the aesthetics of African studio photography.
The exhibition will include a major new commission created exclusively for the NGV, entitled As Above (2026), alongside the Australian premiere of Stars and Constellations (2024), a series currently on permanent display at the National Maritime Museum, Amsterdam.
In association with the exhibition is the release of a fully illustrated monograph, co-published by Thames & Hudson Australia and the NGV, a beautiful, lasting document of Atong's vision and impact.
The book includes essays by Osei Bonsu, Jorge M. Pérez Senior Curator, International Art, Africa and Diaspora, Tate Modern, London, United Kingdom; Clothilde Morette, Artistic Director, Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP), Paris, France; reflections from Atem Yaak Atem and Anna Abul Malual Aguer; an interview with the artist and Natasha Bullock, Senior Curator, Photography, NGV, Melbourne, Australia and Anna Honan, Assistant Curator, Contemporary Art, NGV, Melbourne, Australia and an afterword by Tony Ellwood AM, Director, NGV, Melbourne, Australia.
MARS Gallery extends its sincere gratitude to the NGV, our publishing partners, and to every collector and supporter whose commitment has been integral to Atong's journey over the past decade.
Congratulations Atong!
