Myles Russell-Cook appointed Artistic Director & CEO of ACCA

ACCA Chair Dr Terry Wu announced today that leading Australian curator Myles Russell-Cook has been appointed Artistic Director & CEO of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA).

Currently Senior Curator of Australian and First Nations Art at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Myles Russell-Cook has contributed to and curated numerous significant and internationally recognised projects for the NGV, including the NGV Triennial, Melbourne Now, and the landmark collection exhibition, QUEER: Stories from the NGV Collection.

Born and raised in Naarm/Melbourne, his maternal Aboriginal ancestors come from the lands of the Wotjobaluk people, and throughout his career he has lived and worked in various communities throughout Australia. Recently Russell-Cook’s curatorial work has led him to spend significant periods of time in North-East Arnhem Land, The Kimberley, and throughout the Torres Strait.

A key figure in driving new developments and initiatives in First Nations art both locally and internationally, Russell-Cook reintroduced First Peoples art back to the ground floor of The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia with the launch of Wurrdha Marra, and is the curator behind the recently announced exhibition The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art, the largest ever travelling exhibition of First Peoples Art from Australia, set to open in October 2025 at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC.

“We are very excited to welcome Myles to the role,” Terry said. “As a curator, he has a proven ability to transcend the boundaries of what contemporary art can do and be, and has created numerous successful exhibitions that are progressive and scholarly, whilst also accessible and inclusive. He is a leading light within the next generation of Australian arts practitioners, with boundless ambition and energy, and an expansive vision that will steer ACCA into the next period of success and growth.”

Myles Russell-Cook has been part of the curatorial team at the NGV for over eight years, most recently overseeing the NGV’s collections of Australian Art, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, and Art by Global First Nations Communities. He has worked across a broad range of exhibitions and projects, including Colony: Frontier Wars (2017), DESTINY (2020), Maree Clarke: Ancestral Memories (2021), Found and Gathered: Rosalie Gascoigne and Lorraine Connelly-Northey (2022), and the upcoming REKOSPECTIVE: The Art of Reko Rennie (2024). Internationally, he has curated several exhibitions including a series in collaboration with the Australian Embassy in Paris, the most recent of which, La terre est bleue, is scheduled to open in October 2024.

“I have always loved and admired ACCA, and I am so excited to take on this new position,” he said. “Since its inception, ACCA has been transformative for Australian art, particularly by creating opportunities for artists to make daring and ambitious new work, much of which goes on to be acquired by important state and national collections,” he said. 

“What’s more, ACCA has always provided audiences with experiences that are utterly of the time, rapidly responding to new artistic developments both locally and internationally. That’s perhaps what I love most about ACCA, the way it has always been ahead of the conversation. I am excited to continue to deliver and expand on this remit and lead such a vitally important institution into the future. The next decade or so in Naarm/Melbourne is filled with opportunity, and I see ACCA as a leader in the newly developed Melbourne Arts Precinct, and beyond.” he said.

Myles will begin his new role in November following the departure of much-loved Director Max Delany. “Max’s achievements at ACCA are numerous, but one of his defining contributions is a consistent amplification of First Nations art and artists. We know that Myles will continue to do this, and more broadly, to champion local and international artists from all walks of life,” Terry said.

For further media information, contact: 

Katrina Hall, Publicity/Communications: 0421 153 046

Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
111 Sturt Street, Southbank VIC 3006
Melbourne, Australia
acca.melbourne