Australian Centre for Contemporary Art facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA)

Established	1983; 42 years ago (1983)
Location	111 Sturt Street, Southbank, Victoria, Australia
Type	Contemporary art museum

The Australian Centre For Contemporary Art (ACCA) is a special art gallery in Melbourne, Australia. It focuses on contemporary art, which means art made in our time. You can find ACCA on Sturt Street, in an area called the Melbourne Arts Precinct in Southbank. The building was finished in 2002 and was designed by Wood Marsh Architects. It's also home to the Chunky Move dance company and the Malthouse Theatre.

Since 2015, Max Delany has been the main leader, known as the Artistic Director and CEO, of ACCA.

Discovering ACCA's Story

ACCA first opened its doors in 1983. It moved into its unique building, where it is today, in 2002.

In late 2015, Max Delany became the new artistic director. He had previously worked at the National Gallery of Victoria. He officially started his role at ACCA in early 2016.

The Amazing ACCA Building

The ACCA building was designed by Wood Marsh and finished in 2002. It has four large spaces where art is shown. The building, along with the Malthouse Theatre, forms a courtyard. This outdoor space is sometimes used for performances and art displays.

The building also has two rehearsal studios for the Chunky Move dance company. Plus, there's a big workshop for building sets for the Malthouse Theatre.

The outside of the building is made of special rusty-looking steel. It has very few windows. This design helps artists create many different types of art inside. These can include large installations or art projected onto walls. The inside has shiny metal and glass surfaces. This design is like a "Kunsthalle" (pronounced koonst-hall-uh), which is a type of art hall in Europe. It means the building is a flexible space for showing art.

In 2003, the building won an award for its design.

The Yellow Sculpture Outside

After the building was finished, a sculpture called Vault was moved to the front area. It's still there today. This sculpture is abstract, meaning it doesn't look like a real object. It's made of large, flat pieces of steel.

Many people know it as "The Yellow Peril." This nickname came from its bright yellow color and modern shape. It also caused some debate in newspapers when it was first placed.

What ACCA Aims to Do

ACCA's main goal is to "Do Art Differently." This means they want to challenge people, connect with them, and make a big impact through art.

As of 2021, Max Delany is the artistic director and CEO. Claire Richardson is the executive director. John Denton, who was the first state architect for the Victorian Government, leads ACCA's board.

ACCA is also part of a group called Contemporary Art Organisations Australia. This group helps support art organizations.

Exciting Art Exhibitions

In its first ten years, ACCA asked over 200 artists to create new artworks. These artists came from Australia and other countries. Every year, ACCA asks six or seven new Australian artists to create art for exhibitions.

Some famous Australian artists who have shown their work include Pat Brassington and Patricia Piccinini. International artists like Martin Creed and Barbara Kruger have also had exhibitions. ACCA also puts on shows about specific themes. They also display art in public spaces, like their "Big Wall project."

From late 2017 to early 2018, ACCA held a show called Unfinished Business: Perspectives on Art and Feminism. This exhibition looked at important art practices by women artists in Australia. It included 40 new and existing artworks.

In 2022, ACCA showed a collection of works by Paul Yore. This exhibition was called WORD MADE FLESH and covered 15 years of his art.

Learning Through Talks

In 2019, ACCA started a two-year series of talks called Defining Moments: Australian Exhibition Histories 1968–1999. These talks look closely at important art exhibitions in Australia from 1968 to 1999. They explore how these "game-changer" exhibitions shaped Australian art and culture.

In 2020, Mikala Tai, a former director of the 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, gave a talk. She spoke about how Gallery 4A started and its impact on modern art. Peter Cripps, an artist and former director of the Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane, also gave a talk. He discussed "Recession art and other strategies," referring to an exhibition from 1985.

Images for kids

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  The main entrance of ACCA.

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  Inside the ACCA building.

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  The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art from Sturt Street. You can see the Vault sculpture on the far left and the Malthouse Theatre on the right.