I’ve seen so much of this lovely city that there isn’t much more to report/comment on/photograph, so the days are getting ganged together. Yesterday I did have a chance to go to the National Gallery of Victory with my sister, primarily to see the William Eggleston photographic exhibit which was wonderful.
This exhibit focussed on portraits that he took in and around his home in Memphis and around the Mississippi Delta where he grew up. The works on display capture family, friends, casual acquaintances and strangers in a series of eloquent, poetic character studies and collectively form a social portrait of a time, place and way of life. He was also one of the first professional photographers to use the dye transfer process in printing color and it had a dramatic impact on the quality of his work. It was interesting for me to see small town southern America displayed in this Australian setting.
And in walking through the little lanes in Melbourne I came across a gallery selling the art of Dr. Seuss. At quite a premium. The work brought back so many memories of reading Green Eggs and Ham and Hop on Pop and all the other wonderful classics. Just brought me a smile.
I met several wonderful people on my trip to NZ last year; one was Donna, who I traveled with in Vietnam and Cambodia. Another was Simone, who lives in Auckland. She and her daughter Louisa came to Melbourne this weekend, and I’m so pleased to be able to spend time with them both. We had drinks when they arrived last night and this afternoon we met at the Multicultural Festival at Federation Square. The other National Gallery of Victoria was right there and I had been told about a pretty extensive collection of aboriginal art, so we explored those galleries.
In the Who’s Afraid of Color exhibition, there were presentations of work by a broad range of Indigenous women artists, whose practice is unbounded by convention. It includes bold statements that explore color and assert the politics of identity. Customary woven objects and modern works jostle in the same space, with digital, synthetic and organic materials alternating unexpectedly. The poetics of mourning will oscillate with paintings of wondrous joy. And in many cases the mixed media, and the use of fabric alternated with huge paintings in an almost pointillist style.
Apparently one of the best places for a drink in the area is right at Federation Square — a rooftop bar overlooking the Yarra. It was pretty crowded with both pre-footy (Australian football league) enthusiasts and some other who likely migrated over from the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix which is on this weekend too. So basically everyone was dressed in the same colors, depending on the team being supported. It was definitely a bloke sorta place. But we went up to the rooftop and found a spot, and had a drink, and my sister and nephew joined us and we had a lovely time.
And then there was a rainbow.
