The National Gallery of Victoria's Walls to be Sprayed with Paint-Filled Fire Extinguishers to Mark the Opening of MELBOURNE NOW, Today

Twenty-five compressed and paint-filled fire extinguishers will be used to spray the north wall of NGV International on Friday 22 November, marking the opening of Melbourne Now.

Artist Ash Keating's endurance painting performance will be directed at a 19 x 7.5 metre long banner that festoons the northern wall of the NGV. Using varying shades of pinks, purples, oranges, reds, yellows, ochres and greys, Keating will layer and merge the paints, creating a dynamic and energetic visual abstract image. The public are welcome to attend.

When: Friday 22nd November, 6:30am - 11:30am

Where: Arts Centre Forecourt, St Kilda Road, Melbourne

Media are advised that the best times for capturing this performance will be between 9.30 and 10.30am. Interviews with the artist are available during the spray.

The NGV International north wall billboard painting intervention coincides with Keating's inclusion in Melbourne Now with his three channel video artwork West Park Proposition, 2013, an artwork which involved Keating undertaking an endurance painting performance on the wall of a newly built tilt-slab industrial building situated on The Edge of the current urban and rural boundary in Truganina, Victoria.

Please note that while this project is being promoted for public viewing with a particular start and end time, there may be extended periods of drying times for particular paint layers and short periods of actual painting. These times will vary in part due to precautions that will be taken with respect to the weather and wind. A large area of surrounding ground and wall are being extensively protected from paint drops and overspray, and there will be cordoned off areas inaccessible to the public.

Special thanks to Dulux and Visual Exposure for their generous support of this project.