Gallery Details
State Library Victoria
328 Swanston Street
Melbourne 3000
T: +61 3 8664 7000
E: inquiries@slv.vic.gov.au
W: https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/
Opening Hours
Open daily 10am-6pm, free entry
Rebel Heart: Love letters and other declarations
Rebel Heart: Love letters and other declarations
12 Feb 2026 – 27 Jan 2027
Love doesn’t follow the rules: it rewrites them.
Rebel Heart: Love letters and other declarations is a tribute to defiant expressions of the heart, celebrating true stories of the rebels of romance from the past to the present.
This stirring new exhibition explores romantic love – and its foil, heartbreak – through State Library Victoria’s extraordinary archive of soul-baring letters, intimate diaries and rare manuscripts, amplified in powerful new music commissions.
Spanning centuries of connection and courage, meet 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 love outside marriage, across borders and online.
The Public Galleries Association of Victoria (PGAV) acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the lands where our office is located, and all Traditional Owners of country throughout Victoria and Australia. We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enduring traditions and continuing creative cultures. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
We are an LGBTQIA+ friendly organisation that celebrates diversity. We are committed to providing safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive services for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
