Shadow Spirits 2023

Overview

You climb the stairs to the rarely seen, abandoned rooms at the top of Flinders Street Station and push open the door. Inside is Shadow Spirits, the largest commissioned exhibition of contemporary First Peoples art in Victoria's history.

Shadow Spirits is part of Melbourne's RISING festival for 2023, presented in partnership with Metro Trains, and it's been curated by leading Yorta Yorta curator and writer, Kimberley Moulton. Showcases like this don't come along very often. It's a chance to see 30 of the most exciting First Nations artists and collectives from across Australia, all in the one decked-out event space.

According to RISING's brochure, Shadow Spirits "invites visitors to traverse time and Ancestral spirit worlds, reflect on the shadows of Australia's history, and be immersed in deep systems of knowledge". If you're going to make time for one RISING activation this year, Shadow Spirits should be top of your list.

The exhibition will be running from June 7 to June 18, then kicking off again from June 21 to July 30. Tickets start at $18, and you'll have a full 75 minutes to soak up the magic. We highly recommend going after dark, if possible. It really adds to the atmosphere.

Images: Supplied.