Exploring Melbourne’s Art Scene

There are lots of reasons I enjoy visiting Melbourne: very good coffee that I find in every corner of the city; fusion of food (and readily available healthy options) that fill my different cravings; beautiful gardens and (and sometimes hidden) lane ways; and the thriving art scene.

The coffee, food, lane ways and gardens deserve blogs of their own – which I intend to write soon. For now, I will focus on the different art venues that I was able to explore during my last trip to Melbourne. I always started at the Federation Square – a central location for Melbourne’s arts and events. It is near the Flinders Street Station and a tourist information centre.

Street Art

This was the first on my list, as I have read a lot of reviews about the lanes in Melbourne that are famous for the street art. From the Federation Square, I crossed Flinders Street to the cobblestoned Hosier Lane which was filled with colorful street art. A few blocks away is the AC/DC Lane (you won’t miss it with the paintings on musicians), and the Duckboard Place where I saw murals.

street art

street art

art laneway

street art

Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI)

Right next to the Federation Square is the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). They have different exhibitions but I was only able to go to the permanent exhibit called Screen Worlds. Entrance here was free. The exhibit was very educational and interactive. I saw the evolution of the moving image like TV, film, video games, and digital art. My favorite in this exhibit is the Time Slice which created a 360 degree animation of a pose that I made. The technology is similar to the one used in The Matrix where Keanu was dodging a bullet and he seemed frozen in the shot.

Cate Blanchett’s costume and Oscar on display at the ACMI

evolution of music media, displayed at the ACMI

displays at the ACMI

piano display at the ACMI

Nicole Kidman’s costume from the Moulin Rouge

Costume worn by Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge

Replica of car from Mad Max 1979

National Gallery of Victoria

Locals call this the NGV. There are two sites of the NGV – the first one is called the Ian Potter Centre near the Federation Square, and the second one was a few hundred meters away from the Flinders Street Station, across the Yarra River. I went to the latter, and explored the permanent exhibits. NGV houses many art collections from Asia, Australia and Europe.

NVG building

NGV art display

NVG Gallery

art display at the NGV

NGV display

There are many other places in Melbourne where one can find art. I was also able to watch a couple of stage plays, the last one being The Rocky Horror Show at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

I remember seeing a couple of quirky and unique sculptures along Docklands when I was aboard the free city circle tram. It’s a shame I cannot find the photo of this one sculpture that caught my eye – it’s a cow up a tree. I’ll look for it again and take a photo when I go back to Melbourne.