Image: Sarah Lucas, NUD 8, Courtesy the artist and Sadie Cole HQ, London. From Scuptural Matter, ACCA, 2012.
ACCA has never had a fraction of the kind of budget which has allowed the NGV to create Melbourne Now, a $5.8 million extravaganza featuring more than 400 local artists.
But as it prepares to celebrate its 30th year next year, ACCA is compiling an archive which tells the story of the past generation of contemporary art in Melbourne. It begs asking whether there would be the depth of contemporary practice available for Melbourne Now without the quieter work of ACCA.