Media Release: Beyoncé, DiCaprio, Hepburn: Heaven’s Gate Brings Star-Studded Video Art to Canberra

The latest chapter in Brambilla’s ambitious Megaplex series exploring the spectacle and excess of the modern world, Heaven’s Gate takes viewers on a vivid cinematic journey. Through a dazzling cascade of collaged film imagery featuring stars such as Beyoncé, Audrey Hepburn, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Christopher Walken, the installation creates a multifaceted dreamscape that blurs the line between celebration and critique.  

‘Marco Brambilla’s dazzling work is like a kaleidoscope of pop-culture iconography. Layered with references to gaming, news, cinema and reality television, to experience the work is to enter a hyper-saturated parallel universe.  Heaven’s Gate explores collective storytelling, concurrently celebrating and satirising the glamour of celebrity and golden age Hollywood,’ said Alice Taylor, Creative Producer & Program Coordinator at the NFSA.  

Brambilla is internationally recognised as a leading figure in contemporary video art, celebrated for his pioneering use of digital imaging technologies and immersive moving-image installations. Heaven’s Gate first premiered at Frieze New York in 2021 and was subsequently exhibited at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). The installation then toured internationally including at Art Basel Miami (2021), PHI Centre in Montreal (2022), Outernet Arts in London (2023), and the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, (2023), to name just a few. Now, audiences in Canberra can embark on a rich sensory journey, and experience Heaven’s Gate first-hand, exclusively at the NFSA in Acton. 

Heaven’s Gate is the latest in a series of immersive audiovisual installations at the NFSA, following the success of Temple (2023), Constellations (2024), and Inferno (2025). Greg Lissaman, Head of Programs and Operations at the NFSA, said ‘We are offering audiences fresh perspectives on audiovisual culture. As part of our summer program, Heaven’s Gate, like all our installations, is free to experience and is presented alongside our film and live music series, dynamic collection displays, and a refreshed deli and bar. Canberra audiences are invited to encounter Brambilla’s unique international perspective on film and popular culture in the home of Australia’s audiovisual history.’  

KEY DATES

Media preview | contact comms@nfsa.gov.au to schedule a suitable time

Exhibition dates | 10 December 2025 until 9 March 2026*

Installation open | 10 am until 3 pm daily, including weekends, 6 pm until 8 pm Friday + Saturday from 9 Jan until 21 Feb

Tickets | Free, no bookings required  

*Heaven’s Gate will complement the NFSA’s anticipated Summer Film Series in which the popular Hot Summer Nights film and live music series will return. 
  
📷 Download images via Dropbox.   

About Marco Brambilla 

Marco Brambilla is an internationally acclaimed video artist known for his pioneering use of digital imaging and immersive moving image installations. His work has been exhibited at major institutions including MoMA and the Guggenheim (New York), the New Museum, Nxt Museum (Amsterdam), and the Kunsthalle Bern, and featured at prestigious festivals including Venice and Sundance.  

Brambilla’s Megaplex series—Civilization, Evolution, and Creation—has been shown globally, with Evolution screened at the Venice and Sundance Film Festivals. His recent works include King Size (2023), unveiled in 16K at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and Approximations of Utopia (2024), the first AI-generated piece featured in Times Square’s Midnight Moment. 

In 2025, he was honoured at the Cinema Unbound Awards by the Portland Art Museum. His collaborations span public art and opera, including Marina Abramović’s 7 Deaths of Maria Callas. Brambilla’s work is held in major public collections worldwide.