State Library Victoria’s magnetic new exhibition Rebel Heart: Love letters and other declarations reveals the unsung rebels of romance throughout Australian history.
Rebel Heart charts romantic love’s passion and pain through the Library’s archive of soul-baring letters, intimate diaries and rare manuscripts, amplified by powerful new music commissions by Australian artists Angie McMahon, Mindy Meng Wang, Mo’Ju and Amos Roach.
This stirring exhibition spans centuries of connection and courage to illuminate the brave hearts who dared to love unapologetically – from same-sex couples in the Victorian era and a mid-century marriage at odds with the White Australia policy, to devotion outside marriage, across borders and online.
Dive into modern expressions of the rebel heart, exploring our search for connection now and into the future through mixtapes, DMs, AI relationships and fandoms – from zines and fanfiction to Taylor Swift friendship bracelets from the Eras Tour, Melbourne 2024.
Highlights of Rebel Heart: Love letters and other declarations include:
- The ‘gentlewoman farmers’ Anne Drysdale and Caroline Newcomb, who lived together on their farm in the 1840s. Anne’s personal diaries are the inspiration for Angie McMahon’s music commission.
- Aileen McColl, who wrote letters to Minister for Immigration Harold Holt seeking permission for her Filipino husband, Agapito Castillo, to return home to his family in Melbourne under the White Australia Policy. Wiradyuri-Filipinx artist Mo’Ju responds to this expression of the rebel heart in their new commission.
- Australian music icons Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter, members of the Stolen Generations who met as teenagers sleeping rough and went on to become ARIA award-winners and industry stalwarts. A new piece of music by their son Amos Roach responds to the legacy of his parents’ love.
- Man and XiangYa, whose unrequited love is distilled in a heartbreaking letter found tucked behind a painting on display in the Library in 2009 and is brought to new life in a music commission by Chinese-Australian artist Mindy Meng Wang.
- Bushrangers Captain Moonlight and James Nesbitt, who met in Pentridge Prison and remained together until Nesbitt died in Moonlight’s arms in a shoot-out.
Rebel Heart is a daring, defiant celebration of love’s power to connect us, challenge us and remind us that the heart wants what it wants – no matter the century.
“Rebel Heart dives deep into the collection to uncover heartfelt stories of love and connection, with this free, must-see exhibition,” said Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks.
“For 170 years, State Library Victoria has been collecting some of the most ephemeral and personal records – letters, postcards, diaries and more – to preserve these expressions of the heart for future generations. This captivating exhibition is not to be missed,” said State Library Victoria Acting CEO John Wicks.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day (14 February) with the Library’s infatuating Rebel Heart programs and events, from Love Letters Live – candid and comedic letter readings by beloved comics with host Nina Oyama – to Love and Art, a series of intimate evenings with local creatives exploring how love shapes their artistic practice, kicking off with The Huxleys (5 March).
Rebel Heart: Love letters and other declarations
Keith Murdoch Gallery – State Library Victoria, Swanston Street, Melbourne
Exhibition continues to 27 January 2027
Free entry
For more information, visit: www.slv.vic.gov.au for details.
Images: Rebel Heart celebrates true stories of love that defied the status quo – photo by Eugene Hyland (courtesy of State Library Victoria) | Victorian-era Valentine’s cards – photo by Eugene Hyland (courtesy of State Library Victoria) | Mixtapes were a labour of love in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s – photo by Eugene Hyland (courtesy of State Library Victoria)