Michael Vale: In conversation

Next date: Saturday, 11 April 2026 | 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Join Curator Rebecca Owens & Michael Vale for a special floor talk where you'll explore Michael's practice of blending of Romantic landscape traditions with absurdist theatre, dark fiction and a sly sense of humour.

Over several decades, Vale has developed a distinctive visual language where spectral characters and theatrical costumes appear in grand, dramatic settings, creating scenes that are at once playful, unsettling and richly imaginative.

A highlight of the exhibition is Picnic (2024), Vale’s tongue-in-cheek take on the traditional still life. Drawing on an eclectic mix of art-historical and photographic references, the painting brings together a band of curious travellers—from a blue umbrella-holding figure inspired by a photograph of Picasso, to a turkey borrowed from John Currin—set against a sweeping 16th-century mountain landscape. The result is a witty, layered composition that captures Vale’s love of storytelling, visual mischief and unexpected encounters.

A winner of the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize and long-time Monash University lecturer, Vale invites viewers into a world where theatre, literature and painting collide.

Image: Michael Vale in conversation with MPRG Curator Rebecca Owens.

When

Location

MPRG, Civic Reserve, Dunns Rd, Mornington, 3931, View Map