We observed this beautiful sunset from the top of a nearby hill. Noticed others had stopped to admire it. Trouble being that the red haze was from the Victorian fires raging in the countryside around Melbourne. A view beautiful but ever so ominous!!!
One of the many pleasures of living in Melbourne is that when you walk around the nearby suburbs, there’s plenty of diversity to take in.
While I am enjoying our move in late 2023 to Melbourne from Canberra, and have no regrets about the decision to have permanently left Canberra, there are aspects of a former life that will be missed.
the joys of being in Melbourne; many local government arts centres
Bundoora Arts – click here
the joys of walking the neighbourhood
Not quite a Jeff Koons Puppy;
but a lot cheaper and on sale for $15 in the local tobacco shop
Was not too sure what to expect from the exhibition of the photo record of the guy who ran photo-booths here in Melbourne. Please to say, this was an intriguing experience on several levels. A visit is recommended.
This beautiful gem, a Cuneiform table, being just one marvellous item to be seen at the State Library of Victoria’s excellent exhibition The World of the Book.
One of the joys of winter in Melbourne, is to walk along the Darebin Creek Trail; which is apparently about 25 kms long. On this day we walked along a section close to home.
A beautiful sunny day and a meander through one of Melbourne’s inner city parklands – Fitzroy Gardens.
In late 2023 when considering the purchase of our Melbourne apartment, one of the many considerations was that the building next door was a church.
I enjoy a good sandwich and still have the long held view of what makes up a sandwich. Two slices of bread with yummy filling in between.
We travelled down to Docklands to Magnet Galleries Melbourne to see the exhibition The Prahran Legacy: Beyond the Basement.
James McArdle has a new piece on his blog site, On This Day In Photography, with an extensive review and commentary on Graham Howe’s photo-book, Epoch. Click here
Last Thursday we made another visit to Deutscher Hackett auction house in South Yarra to see their wonderful selection of Australian art – paintings, sculpture and prints.
A highly recommended exhibition – about things floral. The title being Floribunda.
When you buy cereal, the packaging, like it or not, plays a part in your choices.
You have to cringe when you see how easily the property lobby take the public for ride with misleading information published as serious article in The Age – being Melbourne main newspaper.
April 2025, and on a first visit to Daylesford in country Victoria. It is a country town with not a lot to distinguish it from many other country towns in Victoria and NSW.
James McArdle has uploaded a brilliant piece on Helen Ennis’ thought provoking presentation at the Museum of Australian Photography’s launch of the book — The Basement — the photography from Prahran College. Click here.
Gael has uploaded a piece introducing Graham Howe’s new book on his student work when he was at Prahran College in Melbourne 1970-1971. Click here.
Last Saturday (1st March 2024) the Museum of Australian Photography staged a very crowded (that is well attended) exhibition opening of the photography of students of Prahran College (in Melbourne) with works dating from 1968-1981.
Continue reading Exhibition of photography from Prahran College
This was the second time we gone out for lunch at Matsuya Japanese in Fairfield.
Good choice!
One year on from moving to Melbourne and on an evening walk that includes the top of the high street for this shopping centre, I have stopped to look at the scene in front. And took this photograph.
Last weekend we made our way over to South Yarra – to wander through the exhibition of Australian art being staged prior to the auction by Menzies in South Yarra.
More visits to auctions has led to research on Alma Figuerola. Seven of her works were in a Gibson’s auction in October 2024.
Following visits to auctions and subsequent research, we have been looking into the lives and works of a couple of Australian early 20th century painters. One artist that caught our eye was Mary Meyer – who had six works up for sale at Joel’s Women Artists auction here in Melbourne in September 2024.
Today we ventured into Collingwood to see the first exhibition at the new CCP project space. They now occupy a room on the second floor at the back of the complex of the building above – The Collingwood Yards. (the photo above borrowed from their web site).
We had things to do at the NGV, so arrived early to allow about an hour to take in the rehang of a couple of the galleries – in particular the 19th Century European.
An overcast Friday in Melbourne and a good time to visit Heide Museum of Modern Art.
Another post about visits to auction houses to see visual arts exhibition – being four day events before the auction. There’s usually a mix of artworks – some wonderful to some ordinary.
On Friday 20th September we drove over to Hawthorn (Melbourne) to view the Leonard Joel Auction’s exhibition of women’s art that was open for viewing that weekend. An excellent experience. It was so good, we returned on Saturday for another look around.
An opinion piece about photography exhibitions, the visual arts, and things.
As the title of the exhibition indicates, this is a photography prize exhibition. Maybe a third of the works are not photographs but are contemporary artworks that either use photographic processes or at least have links to photography.
On Saturday 7th Sept 2024 in Melbourne, we travelled over to South Yarra to visit a National Trust property, Como House. Till 20th October it is open house on the weekend (see times below)
The full title for this exhibition is:
Searching for Sanctuary: A journey of survival by Barat Ali Batoor
There are several reasons to go to the State Library of Victoria. It is a great place for research – and – they have very engaging exhibitions. One of their current exhibitions is high up in the dome (4th floor). This one is World of Books.
Recently Gibson’s Auction in Melbourne (20th August 2024) held a successful auction of photographs, paintings and prints from the Julian Burnside & Kate Durham Collection. The result highlighted a disconnect between the management of Australia’s public art museums and the viewing and collecting public.
Being in Melbourne, means we can get along to see art auction exhibitions. This we did last Friday and to see Wolfgang Sievers photographs and a range of prints & other material from the Julian Burnside & Kate Durham Collection (link below) . Good stuff!
Continue reading Gibson’s Auction Julian Burnside exhibition
The October 2024 local government elections provide Melbourne residents with the opportunity to examine the record of their councillors on the key issue of development and the reshaping of the amenities and aesthetics of their suburbs, the place they have chosen to invest in for the rest of their lives.
Continue reading Councillors who fence sit their constituents
Recently in The Age (19th July 2024) several local politicians and a few ‘experts’ spoke of the coming of apartments towers to the central areas of Ivanhoe with the emphasis on those sites nearer the railway station.
On the main intersection on Upper Heidelberg Road in the middle of the Ivanhoe shopping strip, stands this building that I think is all about the real estate agency on the first floor – meaning I suspect the real estate is also on the upper floors. On the ground floor are two businesses.
A living in Melbourne story: A couple of months ago while meandering along Ivanhoe’s high street, Upper Heidelberg Road, I casually took in this sign on the bin. I kept walking – thinking so how about that – Joe Cocker is coming to Melbourne. Continue reading Joe Cocker in Ivanhoe
Melbourne, in particular inner Melbourne, has a serious problem with graffiti.
(Image above – a composite photo- captured from two train journeys).
This piece is about an exhibition that closed 28th July 2024. Cutting Through Time—Cressida Campbell, Margaret Preston, and the Japanese Print
It was the 14th July in Ivanhoe and at least one cafe was honouring this important French national day. The cafe was quiet when I took the photograph, it was after hours and one person was inside doing the clean-up.
Upper Heidelberg Road as it runs through Ivanhoe in Melbourne has many buildings of interest. The street has a general people friendly feel to it. In among them is this bank building. Isn’t it wonderful!!
I have been walking passed this royal icon in this high street window for the last six months – ever since we arrived here. She waves when in the sunshine.
We have lived in Melbourne for about 6 months and one of the reasons we chose to live in this suburb was the vibrancy of the shopping street – which is very much an older style ‘high street’.
This exhibition is now closed but its staging was a curious event. Before I write about the exhibition, a few words about the photography of Steve McCurry.
An opinion piece about exhibitions, the visual arts, and things.
Always up for a drive out to the Museum of Australian Photography at Wheelers Hill – in Melbourne, we drove out through the suburban streets (rather than the freeways) for the pleasure of taking in a range of suburbs on the way. The changes of architecture and the various old and new build environments make the journey worth-while.
On exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) till 22 Sept 2024 is a beautifully curated exhibition of two fantastic painters who were pivotal in the development of Australian abstract art. This is a must see – even for those of us who are photographers.
My rating for this exhibition is 😎 😎 😎 😎 😎 (out of 5).
A visit to the galleries and gardens at the Heide Museum of Modern Art remains a recommendation for anyone in Melbourne. The gallery is 30 minutes (more or less) from the CBD and is definitely worth the visit.