An international exhibition examining the cultural impact of vinyl records and music will open at ACMI as part of Melbourne’s RISING festival, bringing together major works from global artists alongside archival material and new commissions.
Presented by ACMI and RISING, The Vinyl Factory: Reverb arrives in Melbourne after its initial staging at London’s 180 Studios. The exhibition features works by artists including Stan Douglas, Jenn Nkiru, William Kentridge, Jeremy Deller, Virgil Abloh, Kahlil Joseph, Gabriel Moses, Cecilia Bengolea, Julianknxx and Carsten Nicolai, alongside pieces from The Vinyl Factory Collection and new works marking two decades of artistic collaboration.
Curators have structured the exhibition around the role of vinyl in shaping art, fashion, film and wider social movements. Visitors are taken through key moments in music history, from early techno and house to contemporary digital art, with references spanning Kingston’s dancehall scene and the late-1980s “Second Summer of Love”.
The exhibition features immersive, hands-on installations that place visitors at the centre of sound and production. A sculptural sound system anchors the space, while Technics turntables allow guests to experiment with looping vinyl tracks, offering a direct insight into how music is created.
The exhibition features immersive, hands-on installations that place visitors at the centre of sound and production… A six-hour film recreates “The Church”, the New York studio associated with artists such as Miles Davis, Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan
A six-hour film recreates “The Church”, the New York studio associated with artists such as Miles Davis, Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan. Other installations include a staged rap battle travelling across global locations and access to an archive of 100 vinyl pressings, featuring artists such as Massive Attack, Grace Jones and Daft Punk.
A dedicated Listening Room offers a curated selection of records in an acoustically designed space. The venue will host weekly sessions featuring local and international artists, with additional programming tied to the RISING festival. Some sessions are curated by Yasmine Sharaf, presenter of Triple R’s Cease + Desist, focusing on underground music scenes.
The Vinyl Factory: Reverb will run at ACMI from Friday 22 May to Monday 31 August 2026. Tickets are priced at $25 for full admission, $22 for concession and group bookings, $20 for members, $15 for students and $13 for children aged 4 to 15. Wheelchair access is available.
For more info and tickets visit ACMI
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