And now, Australians will get the chance to see Fiona Hall's extraordinary installation for themselves at the National Gallery of Australia.

Hall's complex display, Wrong Way Time, which includes more than 800 disparate elements, was created for the new Australian pavilion at one of the most prestigious art events in the world.

For the first time in the event's history, the entire Australian component has been installed in a public gallery in Australia.

The NGA's temporary exhibition space, which just weeks ago housed a major exhibition of works by Tom Roberts, has been transformed into a darkened series of displays that include glass cabinets, hanging woven heads and painted clocks.

The installation, which recreates the Venice version, brings together many of the themes featured in Hall's work during her 40-year career, including global politics and the environment.

Australia's commissioner for the 2015 Venice Biennale, Simon Mordant, said it was these themes that led to Hall being selected to represent Australia last year.

"I had a process with curators from around Australia, and an international curator, to determine who from Australia was speaking about issues that were globally important, and Fiona was our unanimous selection," he said.

"So it was a very clear – she was dealing with the issues of the world, in a way that we thought was very relevant to Venice."

He said the show received coverage in The New York Times and made waves in the international art world.

But Mordant had long wanted Australians who didn't make it to Venice to see how they had been represented.

"I have always thought that the Australian artist who's given the accolade of Venice must be seen in Australia," he said.

Hall said she was pleased with the variety of people who had seen the show, although she never tried to second-guess audience reactions to her work.

"You never take for granted who you think your audience is going to be, because you'll definitely have it incorrect," she said.

The NGA has a long association with Hall, and alongside Wrong Way Time, there is a separate display of her works from the gallery's own collection.

These include Paradisus terrestris, her celebrated series of erotic sardine-tin sculptures, and her installation of painted US banknotes, Leaf litter.

The gallery's senior curator of Australian art, Deborah Hart, said Hall's work responded to her concerns about our role in nature's demise.

"However, I also believe that, notwithstanding a prevalent darkness, Hall's exhibition is fundamentally life-affirming," she said.

Wrong Way Time, by Fiona Hall, opens at the National Gallery of Australia on April 22 and runs until July 10. Entry is free.