Robert Wilson: Moving portraits presents a series of remarkable video portraits of international celebrities, artists, ordinary people and animals, created by the New York artist, designer and director.

Acclaimed internationally for his prodigious and highly inventive theatre and opera direction, Wilson has incorporated a multitude of creative elements into his video portraits. Lighting, costume, make-up, choreography, scenography and sound are ingeniously crafted into imperceptibly slow-moving tableaux, which urge audiences to reconsider the nature of portraiture. His mesmerising works, displayed to human scale, will stand in conversation with highlights from AGSA’s portrait collection, while also complementing the array of portraits on display in the co-ticketed exhibition Archie 100.

Many of the video portraits refer to pivotal moments in art history and have been created through collaborations with renowned contemporary performers and artists such as Lady Gaga, Isabella Rossellini, Brad Pitt, Zhang Huan and Robert Downey Jr. Each work is captured in high-definition video and displayed on large monitors to create an arresting ensemble of characters and moods.

Robert Wilson: Moving portraits is an Australian exclusive for AGSA.

One Ticket, Two Exhibitions

Buy an exhibition ticket and gain access to both Robert Wilson: Moving portraits and Archie 100: A Century of the Archibald Prize.

Tickets are untimed and undated. The exhibitions can be experienced on separate days if desired.

Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Gallery.

Adult $25
Concession $20
Members $18
Full Time Student (Age 13+) $15
Child (Age 5-12) $10
Child (0-4 years) Free
Family Bundle $50
Group of 8+ $18 per person
Member season pass $60

For schools

School Bookings K-12 $50 per class, $30 equity​​​. Guided and self-guided visits available.

Major Partner
  • Adelaide SA & South Australian Tourism Commission Combined Logo
Presenting Partner

Robert Wilson, United States of America, born 1941, Winona Ryder, Actress, 2004, HD video, music by Michael Galasso; Courtesy of RW Work Ltd.

The Long Shadow of Happy Days

Robert Wilson casts Winona Ryder as the character Winnie from Samuel Beckett’s play Happy Days.

Nocturnes

Read more about Wilson's works, Boris, Porcupine, Princess Caroline, Princess of Monaco and Salma Hayek, Actor.

Robert Wilson, United States of America, born 1941, GAO XINGJIAN, Writer, 2005, HD video, music by Peter Cerone; Courtesy of RW Work Ltd.

Soul Mountain

Wilson's portrait offers a mesmerising meditation on language and human thought.

Robert Wilson, United States of America, born 1941, Norman Paul Fleming, Auto Mechanic, 2006, HD video, music by Hans Peter Kuhn; Courtesy of RW Work Ltd.

The Sacred Covenant

Read about Wilson's video portraits of a black panther, snowy owl and Norman Fleming.

Robert Wilson, United States of America, born 1941, Brad Pitt, Actor, 2004, HD video, music by Michael Galasso, voice and text by Christopher Knowles; Courtesy of RW Work Ltd.

Characters + Archetypes

Read about Wilson's video portrait of Brad Pitt, Isabella Rossellini and Dita Von Teese.

Robert Wilson, United States of America, born 1941, ZHANG HUAN, Artist, 2004, HD video, music by Michael Galasso; Courtesy of RW Work Ltd.

Gods of Our Time

Read about Wilson's video portraits of Mikhail Baryshnikov, Robert Downey Jr, William Pope. L and Zhang Huan.

Robert Wilson, United States of America, born 1941, Lady Gaga: Death of Marat, 2013, HD video, music by Michael Galasso, voice by Lady Gaga, text by Marquis de Sade; Courtesy of RW Work Ltd.

Past Lives

This series drew inspiration from paintings in the Louvre’s collection, and from conversations between Wilson and Lady Gaga regarding ideas about beauty, pain, sainthood, and perception.

Robert Wilson, United States of America, born 1941, LUCINDA CHILDS, Dancer and Choreographer, 2005, HD video, music by Peter Cerone, voice by Lucinda Childs; Courtesy of RW Work Ltd.

The Averted Gaze

Read about Wilson's video portraits of Lucinda Childs and JT Leroy.

New members see it free

Receive a complimentary ticket when you join or renew your existing membership for (2 years or more). Conditions apply.