In 2024, Melbourne’s arts scene has never felt more exciting. From world premieres of award-winning musicals and blockbuster exhibitions to indie operations involving wildly talented individuals, our city is alive with awe-inspiring cultural offerings.
All year round, Time Out’s dedicated critics are busy catching musicals, plays and exhibitions around Melbourne to give readers the juicy coverage they want: independent critical reviews. What better way to shine a spotlight on the talented artists and performers we love to write about than by launching the very first Time Out Arts & Culture Awards, celebrating the best of the arts in our city from May 2023 to May 2024.
In addition to our Critics’ Choice and People’s Choice categories, we are also introducing a special award called the Impact Award. This award recognises a successful effort to promote visibility and understanding for a social cause or marginalised group.
The Impact Award category can include theatre or musical productions, exhibitions, theatre companies, institutions or industry bodies.
And the winner is…
Connection at the Lume has taken the Impact Award 2024 in Time Out Melbourne’s inaugural Arts & Culture Awards. This exhibition provided an opportunity to experience the sights and sounds of Australia’s First Nations artists like never before. From intricate dot paintings to watercolours and wood carvings, the immersive exhibition explored themes of Land, Water, Sky and Country.
Connection spanned 3,000 square metres of gallery space and featured projections four storeys high from celebrated artists like Tommy Watson, Gabriella and Michelle Possum Nungurrayi, Clifford and Emily Kame Kngwarreye. And it was all set to a soaring score of First Nations music.
By combining large-scale projections, music and interactive elements, Connection put visitors right in the middle of the art and drew in people who might be less likely to visit a traditional gallery or museum.
Co-curator and featured artist Wayne Quilliam travelled far and wide around so-called Australia to document not only the artworks, but also the artists’ stories, while placing cultural protocols at the very forefront of the curation process.
In a year when First Nations peoples were thrust into the political spotlight, Connection created a space for understanding and reconciliation.