DIVA, an exhibition at the Australian Museum of Performing Arts, uses costumes and performance objects to explore how the public image of a diva has changed—from the opera tradition represented by Dame Nellie Melba to the pop spectacle of Olivia Newton-John and Kylie Minogue, and the punk presence of Amy Taylor. The exhibition was reported to include 60 costumes and items, with Australian and international performers represented.
What DIVA puts on display
Rather than ranking Australia’s women performers or tracing a single, settled history, DIVA makes its argument through objects. The contrast among a robe associated with Melba, Newton-John’s rhinestone-encrusted leather jacket and Taylor’s deliberately comic pink dress shows how different performance traditions can each claim the diva spotlight.
Australian Associated Press reported the exhibition included 60 costumes and items. That figure describes the exhibition contents, not the size of the Australian Performing Arts Collection, which Arts Centre Melbourne says holds more than 850,000 objects across circus, dance, music, opera and theatre. Arts Centre Melbourne’s 2025 collection announcement provides that institutional collection figure.
Three Australian performers, three kinds of stage image
| Performer | Tradition or public image | Object described in the exhibition coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Dame Nellie Melba | Opera | A robe associated with Melba, designed by Jean Philippe Worth, according to AAP. |
| Olivia Newton-John | Pop stardom | A rhinestone-encrusted leather jacket associated with her 2014–16 Las Vegas residency, according to AAP. |
| Kylie Minogue | Contemporary pop spectacle | The Padam Padam video outfit, identified by the official label as a Thierry Mugler catsuit with Maison Ernest boots, on loan from Minogue. |
| Amy Taylor | Punk performance | A pink whoopee-cushion dress, described by AAP. |
The objects make the differences tangible: formal opera dress, rhinestone pop glamour, a sharply designed video look and a punk costume built around irreverence. They are not evidence of a linear rise in artistic quality or influence; they are distinct ways performers have used appearance to shape a public persona.
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What the Kylie Minogue label adds
The official Arts Centre Melbourne DIVA digital label identifies Minogue’s Padam Padam look as a Thierry Mugler catsuit paired with Maison Ernest boots, on loan from the performer. It connects the outfit to “Padam Padam,” a 2023 track from Tension. That specificity places the costume within a particular music-video era rather than presenting it as a generic stage outfit.
How the exhibition frames the changing meaning of “diva”
Margot Anderson, Arts Centre Melbourne’s Head of Curatorial, describes a shift from a “girl next door image” toward rebellion and greater inclusion. That is Anderson’s curatorial interpretation of the Australian examples, not a measured consensus or a definitive account of every performer’s career.
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Anderson says the exhibition aims to “celebrate the power and creativity of iconic performers” and considers “how they’ve used the spotlight to make change and inspire the world around them.” The objects invite viewers to consider how costume contributes to that public presence, while the range from opera to pop and punk resists narrowing the word “diva” to one sound or style.
Amy Taylor’s dress and the idea of inclusion
Taylor’s pink whoopee-cushion dress is the most overtly comic object among the Australian examples. Anderson calls it “a fantastic costume and really inventive and so reflective of her and her personality. There are lots of different faces of the Australian diva,” specifically discussing Taylor’s dress. In this framing, the punk performer belongs in the same conversation as opera and pop stars without needing to imitate their conventions.
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Exhibition dates and current status
AAP’s October 2025 report said DIVA “runs from December 11 to April 26,” but did not specify the years in that sentence. Those dates therefore do not establish that the exhibition is currently open or provide a reliable current visiting window. Check Arts Centre Melbourne’s official listing for up-to-date exhibition status and visitor information.
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