Exploring Melbourne's Cultural Quarter - A Short Photo Parade

 

Every time I come to Melbourne, I spend a lot of time around the Cultural Quarter - the creative zone that stretches from Federation Square (opposite Flinders Street Railway Station), down to the National Gallery of Victoria. I've been there twice this week and the above photographs are a tiny sample of the hundreds I took. The first images relate to the NGV of course, where I went to see  Vienna Art & Design, marvellous exhibition which is due to finish any day. From there I wandered down to Federation Square (the hefty grey buildings shown above), which I've written about several times before on this blog. (You can read that by clicking on Federation Square in the label lines below).

That's where you'll find NGV's Ian Potter Centre and the Australian Centre for Moving Image, along with crowds of people enjoying the terrific public spaces. The entire area is marvellous for people-watching and photography and I will be sad to say goodbye to them when I leave Australia in two days' time.

Back to wobbly old Christchurch and reality.

Ron Mueck - Two Women

Above: Two Women 2005.

Photographed at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

February 2010.

When Kelly Gellatly wrote of Ron Mueck's Two Women 2005 in the Ron Mueck catalogue, she spoke of the artist's ability to undercut the stereotypes into which old women normally fall - "the warm, loving, cuddly grandmother-type...wise, generous, jolly....or the wizened old crone of fairytale fame." And in Mueck's major touring exhibition, now showing at Christchurch Art Gallery, I am reminded again of Gellatly's words and her observation that "part of the shock of seeing Mueck's women," is the fact that they would be so ordinary, so indistinguishable and unremarkable in a crowd.

Above: Two Women 2005 Photographed at Christchurch Art Gallery, Nov.2010

Christchurch Posters "From their ashen faces, thinning hair and osteoporosis-ridden backs, through to their slip-on shoes and bunched, wrinkled tights collected at their ankles," she writes, "there is a conspiratorial, gossipy and decidedly critical air to their encounter....." There's a distinct feeling they're watching you, talking about you, sniggering perhaps, or tut-tutting as they consider the modern world passing them by - both within the gallery and outside on the street, as they peer at you from posters scattered throughout the city.

Mueck's show first opened in Melbourne at the National Gallery of Victoria on February 21, 2010 and then went to Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane before coming to Christchurch. When I was visiting the Melbourne show in February, I interviewed NGV's Curator of Australian Art Exhibitions, David Hurlston, who spoke of Mueck's work, the artist's reclusive nature and his own visit to Mueck's North London studio. He spoke of the compelling nature of Mueck's giant sculptures - their 'WOW factor', and their links back to Rennaissance, Medieval and Greek portrayals of the human form. He talked about Mueck's studio and the artist's traditional approach to working and his sketching and absorbing of a wide range of influences. "He draws influences from the people around him, from people in the street, a moment he sees, a smile, the stance of a woman looking in a window - they're etched in his mind and he takes those back to his studio where he begins with sketches and a clay marquette," says Hurlston. "He has an incredible gift of being able to give life to those observations."

Mueck's North London studio is located in a beautiful old stable building at the end of a lane - "a very romantic, storybook artist studio," says Hurlston. It is a mass of 'body parts,' scaffolding, boxes filled with eyeballs and mannequins - "a head here, an arm there; a level of disarray but also an incredible orderliness. He knows where everything is. You look at the finished pieces and there is a quality about them that alludes to a clean environment; but it's not, it's messy, dirty and over 100-years-old."

Mueck has been quoted as saying "I am a misanthrope." Hurlston describes him as "shy, an enigma, someone who often chooses to be alone." He doesn't like talking about his work either and normally shuns all media interviews. He's very self-effacing. "We had a journalist interview organised to promote the Melbourne show but Mueck vanished ten minutes before it was due to take place. That was no surprise to me," says Hurlston.

Ten years ago Mueck was virtually unknown as an artist and his meteoric rise to international fame has given rise to critics as well as fans. "There are some in the art world who say he hasn't done the hard yards, that he has no art school training, that his work is gimmicky. He's gone from an unknown to the top of the heap in a very short time. His work is attention-grabbing but he's very honest and having seen him at work, having seen his artistic sensibility at play and heard him talk about his observations and his work, I don't think that's true. The proof of how his work touches and attracts people is in the exhibition numbers - over 50,000 in Melbourne in the first 36 days of the show and on average around 1,200 people a day. He sees himself as an outsider in the contemporary art world and he doesn't aspire to sensationalist antics. I believe he's ultimately going to be judged as one of the really important artists of our day," says Hurlston.

www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz www.ngv.vic.govt.au www.qag.qld.gov.au

Ron Mueck continues at Christchurch Art Gallery until January 23, 2011

Ron Mueck - Prepare to be Amazed.

When the Ron Mueck Sculpture show opens at Christchurch Art Gallery this Friday night, there will be plenty of astounded viewers. Mueck has an uncanny ability to create astonishingly life-like works, as you can see from these photographs that I took at his Melbourne show at the National Gallery of Victoria in February.

And it doesn't matter how many times you see the images, or how many times you stand in front of the actual sculptures, there is still a sense of wonder about them. Yet for all the realism, Mueck's distorting scale is what generates the most power I think - the gigantic man (above), the tiny, fragile doll-like old woman in bed (the most powerful and moving of all the works for me), and these two adorable old ladies standing on a plinth, hardly as big as a five-year-old. It becomes realism with a disturbing twist that you will continue to think about long after leaving the exhibition. www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz

It's All in the Feet.

Excuse me for seeming a little preoccupied with feet. I don't have a foot fetish - nothing even slightly resembling one; but I do believe an artist's skill can be measured somewhat by their ability to execute human feet and hands, whether that be in painting or sculpture. Thus it was, that I found myself intrigued by the feet of the Ron Mueck sculptures at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. So lifelike as to be surreal. Ranging from the 'tiny' toes of a (giant) newborn baby to the hairy toes of 'Wild Man' and the mesmerising feet of "Dead Dad," each pair of feet seemed more expressive than the last. London-based, Melbourne-born Mueck is internationally known for the astonishing realism of his sculptures - all of which capture something of the timeless human condition. His show continues at NGV until April 18th and then moves to Queensland Art Gallery (may 8 - August 8), before crossing the Tasman to open at its only New Zealand venue, Christchurch Art Gallery (Sept 30 - January 23, 2011).

One Girl, One Gallery

A timely shot that speaks for itself - outside the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne recently. www.ngv.vic.giv.au

Mueck on Show

How delighted was I, when I discovered on a recent visit to Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria, that London-based, Melbourne-born artist Ron Mueck is all for new media; and all for gallery visitors photographing his astonishing sculptures. He's happy for people to take snaps and send them out into the technosphere via facebook, blogs or Twitter - a refreshing stance given that most major galleries still prohibit photography (certainly flash photography), regardless of the fact that they must be losing the battle against tiny modern cameras and cellphones.

Ron Mueck's NGV show is currently breaking all projected visitor records. Viewers are enchanted and enthralled by his realist sculptures and the same thing is sure to happen in Brisbane, when the show moves there in a few weeks' time. And New Zealanders will also get the chance to stand and gaze in awe, when the show comes to Christchurch Art Gallery in October. In preparation for interviewing the gallery's Curator of Australian Art, I had read masses of publicity material on Ron Mueck, seen dozens of images of his works and felt I knew exactly what to expect when I stepped into the show. Suffice to say, I was wrong. No amount of pre-reading prepared me for the emotion impact of the works, their eerie realism, or the degree to which Mueck has captured the essence of humanity in each of them.

Nor was I prepared for the general audience reaction to the works - and being a consummate observer - that's one of the elements of the exhibition I enjoyed the most. While gallery visitors shuffled slowly through the show, I was taking photographs of them taking photographs of the sculptures. I did feel slightly voyueristic at one point and my actions seemed to amuse the security guards but I 'fought bravely on.' I think you could have a very successful second Mueck exhibition - the audience reactions captured in photographs. I wonder if that's ever been done before?

In the meantime, here are a few of my audience photographs for you to browse. And for any New Zealanders checking in, this is one show at Christchurch Art Gallery you won't want to miss - and don't forget to cast your eyes about at the other visitors trying to absorb the uncanny realism of Mueck's works.

www.ngv.vic.gov.au www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz

Men of Steel

"Inside Australia, 2002" by English artist, Antony Gormley (1950) at the National Gallery of Victoria, is a crowd pleaser. The row of black stainless steel figures were a gift to the gallery and they are currently taking pride of place, on display in the entrance foyer, in front of the gallery's very interesting water wall. I particularly liked the interplay of the inside figures with the security guard on the outside of the waterwall; and the way gallery patrons interacted with the figures.

Thinking Melbourne, Thinking Fed Square

Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia. November 2008. Ajr

This is where I was this time last year – spending much of my time slouching around Melbourne’s cultural centre, Federation Square, colloquially known as Fed Square. Designed by the Melbourne architectural practice, Lab Architecture Studio, the complex was built (2002-2004) on top of a concrete platform that straddles the busy railway lines below. Chief among its collected buildings is the National Gallery of Victoria’s newest and second premises, the Ian Potter Centre – the entrance pictured above, the rear of the gallery photographed from the riverbank, below. I love this whole area and last year was lucky enough to visit at the same time as a major sculptural award, with works scattered in and around the square. (If you put Melbourne of Federation Square into the blog index top left, you’ll be able to view many of those works). Quite apart from that, the place teems with people day and night and it’s a fabulous place to sit to get the feel of Melbourne as a city. It’s also home to one of my favourite restaurants, The Chocolate Buddha and I can't wait to get back there is a month or two. www.ngv.vic.gov.au www.labarchitecture.com www.federationsquare.com.au www.chocolatebuddha.com.au

Behind Bars

The Old Gaol, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia. Nov. 2008. Ajr

It was a blistering hot 36-degrees the day I drove from Melbourne to Castlemaine and after exploring the town, I was keen to investigate the old town gaol (if only to escape the heat), which is now open to the public - or so they say! I was most annoyed when they wouldn't let me in. I can only assume I look far too honest for my own good. Needless to say I left the building hot, bothered and very much in the mood for committing a crime.

Modern Classics

BISON, Howey Place, Melbourne, Australia. Nov. 2008 Ajr

I discovered a terrific shop when I was in Melbourne recently – BISON Homeware, which was founded by principal designer, Brian Tunks. According to the little leaflet I picked up in the store about “Caring for Your Bison’ (and doesn’t that conjure up some comical images?), Brian trained in classics and archaeology at the Australian National University, which is where he developed his love of ceramics. While studying ancient Greco-Roman excavations in the Middle East, he unearthed a wonderful array of artefacts – everything from decorative vessels and domestic bowls to pottery shards. It’s a wonderful background for someone now producing a colourful, sturdy range of Australian stoneware – chubby little vessels that have a feel of strength and durability. It’s easy to imagine them as the artefacts of the future – and I do like the fanciful notion of someone digging up my porridge bowl in the back garden 1,000 years from now. I wonder what else they’ll find – and what they’ll make of me when they study ‘the shards of my life.’ www.bisonhome.com

Art Announcements

NGV Melbourne, Nov. 2008. Ajr

At the end of the day when all I had the energy for was photographing the posters!

More on Church Architecture

Woodend Catholic Church, Victoria, Australia. Nov. 2008 Ajr I wonder why churches are always in the best spot in any town - invariably on a hill, or a rise, on prime real estate. I guess they had the money and the community backing. St Ambrose Catholic Church in Woodend, an hour north of Melbourne is no exception. This hefty brick ediface looks over the little township with an unquestionable authority. The Catholic school is right next door.