Joy
See it. Share It.
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Joy brings the Immigration Museum to life with an emotive adventure where creativity, colour and storytelling join forces to take you on a transformative journey.
Seven newly commissioned installations by seven leading Victorian-based creatives offer a unique opportunity to experience the power and meaning of joy. Big joyous moments and more reflective spaces capture all kinds of joy, from the carefree years of childhood to a celebration of belonging and togetherness.
Explore what joy means to others then share what sparks your own joy with our colourful 'Share Your Joy' wall.
Joy exhibition tours running on selected days.
View an accessible, digital version of all the exhibition text.
Artist Video Series
Discover the joy behind each installation and learn more about the creativity and concepts that inspired these works.
Discover the Artist Video Series
Discover the stories behind Joy and explore this vital emotion through the concepts of colour and storytelling.
Que te puedo decir, así son las cosas
Discover the ‘cotidianidad’ – meaning ‘everydayness’ that inspired this series of bold cut-out vignettes.
Bring it to the Runway, Runway.
Queer artist Spencer Harrison ‘drags up’ the architecture with a play of colour and light, discover the personal memories that inspired this creation.
Joy Generator
Nixi Killick is an ‘Imagineer’. Discover her practice using colour and technology to poke the perimeters of possibility.
In Search of the Simurgh
Artists Elyas Alavi and Sher Ali tell the story of strength and resilience behind this this awe-inspiring mural.
Video Land
Rewind to the 1990s and discover the nostalgia of Video Land.
Bunny Dearest
Hop back to your childhood and discover what inspires Beci Orpin’s work in a space between illustration, design and craft.
Our Laughter Will Become the Waterfall
Wiradjuri artist and poet Jazz Money tells the story of the waterfall that once flowed with laughing water here upon Birrarung Marr.
Artists
Nadia Hernández
Venezuelan-born Australian artist Nadia Hernández commemorates ‘cotidianidad’ – meaning ‘everydayness’ – in bold cut-out vignettes, examining daily moments conducive of joy that revolve around food and music.
Spencer Harrison
Queer artist Spencer Harrison ‘drags up’ the architecture of the Museum with a play of colour and light, creating a joyful runway to strut your stuff and celebrate all identities.
Nixi Killick
Globally renowned, ‘future positive’ fashion designer Nixi Killick invites us to spark our joy with her vibrant, interactive joy generator that fuses colour, technology and augmented reality.
Elyas Alavi with Sher Ali
Afghanistan-Australian visual artist and poet Elyas Alavi and Sher Ali explore resilience, strength and the joy of being connected in a large-scale mural and neon text, illustrating the story of the Simurgh, a Persian mythical bird.
Callum Preston
Multi-faceted pop artist and designer Callum Preston explores joy through the nostalgia of a full-scale replica of a 1990s video store, 'a joy,’ he says, ‘I never thought I would miss until I realised it was gone.’
Jazz Money
Wiradjuri artist and poet Jazz Money expresses joy as both a tender, domestic space and a radical act. Her work enfolds us in a soundscape of laughter and care, surrounded by a painted mural referencing the waterfall that once flowed with laughing waters on the Birrarung Marr.
Beci Orpin
Celebrated local artist Beci Orpin, whose work occupies a space between illustration, design and craft, creates an all-encompassing sensation of joy with her giant soft-toy rabbit called Bunny Dearest, inspired by joyful childhood memories.
Accessibility
Please view our accessibility page for general information. Contact our team on 13 11 02 or email us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support your visit.
Some spaces in Joy have reflective flooring which may affect visitors with low vision.
Museums Victoria is grateful to its generous supporters for making Joy possible