Selected from a nationwide field of proposals, In Absence is the fifth NGV Architecture Commission, an ongoing initiative to commission, through an open competition, temporary works of thought-provoking and immersive architecture.

Experience the current NGV Architecture Commission In Absence, a collaborative project by Contemporary artist and Kokatha and Nukunu woman Yhonnie Scarce and Melbourne architecture studio Edition Office.

In Absence is  an architectural installation that invites audiences to better understand the fallacy of the premise of Terra Nullius, which declared Australia as an emptiness awaiting ownership. An enigmatic wooden tower rises upwards from a surrounding field of kangaroo grass, murnong (yams) and an undulating path of crushed Victorian basalt. Below you can watch an interview with Yhonnie Scarce and Edition Office conducted by NGV curator Ewan McEoin, and learn more with an essay by Ewan McEoin.

Presented by the National Gallery of Victoria.
Photo credit: Tom Ross

Watch

An interview with the creators of In Absence; Kokatha and Nukunu woman Yhonnie Scarce and Melbourne architecture studio Edition Office.

Virtual tour