11 minute read
Arts & Culture
Art on walls other than your own and entertainment that isn’t on the TV? It’s time, once again, to fill Melbourne’s venues and get your culture fix.
Whether your idea of culture is immersing yourself in an installation at ACCA or hitting The Forum to catch a hot band, it’s all happening. Spend the day hopping from gallery to museum, stay out late watching cabaret and comedy, then spend the night in the city and do it all again.
ACMI
Experience The Story of the Moving Image, a fully immersive new exhibition at the revamped Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Afterwards, check out cult films, foreign features and thought-provoking documentaries in the cinemas. +acmi.net.au
Arts Centre Melbourne
Get the kids into some summer fun when circus company Circa and Aardman Studios bring Shaun the Sheep’s Circus Show to the stage during January. Music and the great outdoors come together when Live At the Bowl returns from January to April. +artscentremelbourne.com.au
Malthouse Theatre
It’s Melbourne’s most experimental theatre company and, during the summer, it will host a series of live performances at its Malthouse Outdoor Stage. Keep your eyes peeled for a program of music, dance, comedy, theatre, workshops and talks. +malthousetheatre.com.au
Melbourne Art Fair
Works by the hottest contemporary artists, both new and established, can be found under one roof at Melbourne Art Fair (17–20 February) at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. There’ll be special commissions, installations, performance and conversations. +melbourneartfair.com.au
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
The multi-Tony Award winning Moulin Rouge! The Musical has made its way to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre for its Australian debut. Baz Luhrmann’s screen version has endless fans, but now it’s time to experience this tale of truth, beauty, freedom and love on the stage. +moulinrougemusical.com/
australia
NGV
Check out its two locations for some of the city’s biggest free exhibitions. At NGV International, Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala celebrates the work of artists from northeast Arnhem Land. The NGV Architecture Commission 2021: Pond[er] takes over the garden at NGV International. +ngv.melbourne
Shrine of Remembrance
Join a 45-minute tour and discover the history of Victoria’s national memorial. Led by an expert guide, you’ll learn about the spaces, exhibitions and personal stories that make this a living monument. There are several tours each day. +shrine.org.au
Shrine of Remembrance
Heart of the Arts
Beneath its landmark spire, Arts Centre Melbourne delivers the best of the city’s creative scene.
Arts Centre Melbourne is the centrepiece of the city’s arts precinct. Every day it hosts world-class performances across its stages – theatre, music, dance, circus and more.
Home of Culture
Arts Centre Melbourne is bigger than most people realise. With three venues, the Theatres Building (under the Spire), Hamer Hall and the outdoor Sidney Myer Music Bowl, it is home to Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet and Melbourne Theatre Company.
More to See
Delve into our contemporary music scene through immersive digital experiences and incredible objects at the Australian Music Vault. Also check out the Sunday Market, where local artisans sell handmade goods, including arts, crafts and delicious delicacies.
Live at the Bowl
Get ready for a summer of dancing under the stars. The series of open-air performances returns to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl from January to April. Explore a stunning program of music, comedy, dance, family events and more.
Refresh Yourself
Before your show or during the day, there are a number of eateries to sate appetites. For a quick lunch or coffee try Protagonist on the forecourt. After dark, classic cocktails and a modern Australian menu feature at The Barre. +artscentremelbourne.com.au
Chanel’s Lasting Legacy
It’s the country’s fashion capital, so it’s no surprise Melbourne will host the international debut of an exhibition celebrating Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, women’s fashion was very different. Clothing was created using stiff fabrics and layered with underpinnings and corsets. All that was about to change, with the arrival of Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, who most now recognise as Coco. The way she broke standards to develop her own style vocabulary is demonstrated at NGV International’s new exhibition, Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto. “Her legacy and lasting contribution is really that she made fashion relevant for women and particularly for a new kind of female subject,” says NGV curator of fashion and textiles Danielle Whitfield. “She designed clothing for emancipated, independent women that responded to their lifestyles. The principles of her aesthetic were around comfort, ease of movement, youthfulness, simplicity and a kind of elegance.” The exhibition features more than 230 garments, pieces of jewellery and accessories from the Paris fashion museum, Palais Galliera, as well as private collectors and the NGV Collection. They date from her earliest years in the 1920s through to her comeback in the 1950s, when she created the Chanel suit worn by the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Lauren Bacall and Grace Kelly.
Top left: CHANEL (designer) Robert Goossens (maker) Bracelet 1960s vermeil, glass paste (pâte de verre) Patrimoine de CHANEL, Paris Photo © Julien T. Hamon Top right: Gabrielle Chanel (designer), Evening dress autumn–winter 1927–28 (detail), silk crêpe embroidered with glass beads, Patrimoine de CHANEL, Paris Photo © Julien T. Hamon Bottom left: CHANEL (couture house), Gabrielle Chanel (designer), Suit comprising jacket, skirt and blouse, spring–summer 1966 (detail), overpainted wool, raw silk, gilt-gold, metal, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Presented through The Art Foundation, of Victoria by Mrs Angela Wood, Member, 2000, Photo: Narelle Wilson, NGV Bottom right: Gabrielle Chanel (designer), Evening dress c. 1923–26, silk crêpe, tube and diamanté, embroidery, lamé, tulle embroidered, with gold thread Patrimoine de CHANEL, Paris, Photo © Julien T. Hamon
Danielle believes some may be surprised by Chanel’s early innovations: “Even when we think about the perfume and cosmetics, it came so early in her career – in 1921 she developed Chanel No.5.
“The name of the perfume – No.5 – was so abstract, and it was a language of modernism. People wore make-up but it wasn’t necessarily something you popped in your purse and carried around throughout the day. What she did was to incorporate that into the language of what a modern woman wore and had. There were purse-sized travel sprays, lipsticks and compacts that popped in your handbag.”
As for her favourite piece? “I’m a romantic, so one of my favourite works is a sleeveless pale pink tulle, lace and chiffon evening dress from 1930. Although the design gives the impression of lightness and gentle volumes, the interplay of transparency in the design is actually quite racy and only achieved through incredibly complex cutting and couture techniques.”
Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto opens at NGV International on 4 December. +ngv.melbourne/chanel
Buxton Contemporary
Turbulent Water Observance 10 December – 8 May Turbulent Water is the fi rst solo Victorian exhibition of internationally acclaimed artist Rebecca Belmore. Observance features work by Karla Dickens, Julie Dowling, Julie Gough, Lisa Hilli, Betty Muffl er and Angela Tiatia.
Image: Rebecca Belmore Fountain 2005. Single-channel video with sound projected onto falling water, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. Image courtesy the artist. Open: Wed–Sun, 11am to 5pm. Mon & Tues, closed. Free admission Cnr Southbank Boulevard and Dodds Street, Southbank t 03 9035 9339 e buxton-contemporary@ unimelb.edu.au w buxtoncontemporary.com
Science Gallery Melbourne
MENTAL: Head Inside From 20 January See more than 20 experimental projects from local and international artists and research collaborators that refl ect a range of diff erent perspectives on mental health and ways of being. This is a place to explore, empathise and question what it means to be human using science, technology and creativity. Tram: Route 1, 3-3a, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, or 72 to Melbourne University tram stop Train: Melbourne Central then a 10 minute walk up Swanston Street Open: Tues–Sat, 11am to 5pm. Free admission 700 Swanston Street, Carlton e info@melbourne.sciencegallery. com w melbourne.sciencegallery.com
Old Quad
Emu Sky From 16 November Explorations of Aboriginal science, language and land management practice invite the audience to consider the depth and breadth of Aboriginal knowledge of, and responsibilities to, Country. Bringing together the works of art, research and storytelling of more than 30 Aboriginal collaborators, Emu Sky off ers an illumination and an opportunity to listen to and explore new ways of seeing. Tram: Route 1, 3-3a, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, or 72 to Melbourne University tram stop Train: Melbourne Central then a 10 minute walk up Swanston Street Open: Tues–Fri, 10am to 4pm & Sat 11am to 4pm. Free admission Building 150 (Parkville Campus) The University of Melbourne, Parkville w about.unimelb.edu.au/old-quad
Looking Back,
Installation view of Maree Clarke: Ancestral Memories, The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne. Photo: Tom Ross Maree Clarke, Jack Charles 2012; inkjet print, 58 × 58 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne © Maree Clarke.
Artist Maree Clarke’s new piece for Melbourne Art Fair continues her practice of using new technology to connect with her cultural heritage.
When Melbourne Art Fair opens in February it will be the largest event of its kind in Australia for two years. Contemporary art and ideas embracing the theme Djeembana / Place will be explored by artists from 53 leading galleries and Indigenousowned art centres. All of it will be featured across 7,000 square metres of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
It’s this luxury of space that has allowed curator Emily Cormack to bring together a number of works of scale for Beyond. One of the artists featured is Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung woman Maree Clarke. Having been a practitioner for more than 30 years, and with the first major retrospective of her work still on show at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia (until 6 February), it’s an inspiring time for the artist.
“I can’t believe I have so many exciting things going on at the same time,” says Maree on the eve of Melbourne Art Fair. “I haven’t stopped during our lockdowns because there is always something new to make and create.”
For the fair she is making five 50-metre river reed necklaces to
Moving Forward
Maree Clarke, Photograph of Jacob, 2020; photograph mounted on dibond and framed under glass, 180 × 100 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne © Maree Clarke. Maree Clarke, Mutti Mutti/Wamba Wamba/Yorta Yorta/Boonwurrung born 1961, Ancestral Memory 2019 glass, steel dimensions variable Courtesy of the artist and Vivien Anderson Gallery, Melbourne © the artist Photo: Christian Capurro
represent the five clans of the Kulin Nation:
Throughout her career Maree’s work has been credited with helping in the revival of the use of traditional materials, while also using new technology to help re-create custom and ritual. The river reed necklaces will make use of both.
“I love to supersize things, like the river reed necklaces,” she says. “It’s the wow! factor of seeing them so big then you read what they represent on that scale. I also love using 3D-printed technology and glass to re-create traditional necklaces – like 3D-printed 18-carat gold kangaroo teeth and glass river reeds and seed pods.” You can view Maree’s new work and thousands of other pieces, including experimental projects, live performance and sound art, video and the Melbourne Art Foundation 2022 Commission by Yankunytjatjara artist Kaylene Whiskey, at MCEC from 17–20 February.
+melbourneartfair.com.au +ngv.melbourne
Don’t miss Melbourne
Melbourne Theatre Company
A much-loved cultural institution, Melbourne Theatre Company is your ticket to the city’s best entertainment this summer. The international hit Touching the Void, starring Lucy Durack, makes its Australian premiere in January and is set to be a remarkable display of theatrical wizardry. In February, the must-see musical of the year, Fun Home, fi nally arrives in Melbourne following its acclaimed Sydney season. See what’s on during your stay and discover more at mtc. com.au. Tram: Route 1 to stop 17 Train: To Flinders Street Station Southbank Theatre 140 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank t 03 8688 0800 w mtc.com.au Find us on:
IceBar Melbourne
Keeping things a fun and frosty at -10°C here in Melbourne all year round! Get rugged up before you head inside Australia’s only ice bar. It’s the perfect place to cosy up with a date, party with friends or chill with the family! Special off er:15% off Deluxe Entry. Includes snow gear, cocktail and a shot. Use code: deluxe15. Online bookings essential. The Atrium, Federation Square, Melbourne t 1300 ICEBAR w icebarmelbourne.com Find us on:
Aru Kristoffer Paulsen
Dessous Kate Shanasy Farmer’s Daughters
