Melbourne Part 3: Art

It's in the streets. This is the primary difference between Sydney and Melbourne. Creativity is lurking around every corner, seeping into public spaces and getting under your skin. Sadly, Sydney tends to eat art up and spit it out in the form of casinos and commercial real estate. 

I so enjoyed the grafitti and poster art... please sample a selection below:

When walking along Gertrude St we came across a little exhibition of crazy birds and their homes, which made me feel nostalgic for the 3 years I had my Mum to myself and we spent days doing craft and drawing crazy birds.  The artist's name is Neils Oeltjen. These images are actually from when he exhibited the same work in Sydney. I liked it a lot.

The main point of going to Melbourne was to see the Art Deco exhibition before it closes (5th October in case you're wondering). And it seems the rest of Australia was thinking the same thing last weekend! The crowds of people actually made me feel quite good about the state of art in Australia. 

It was a pretty amazing collection... Egyptomania sounded like a fun time, and all the Oriental influences such as the  lacquer techniques were so beautifully utilised, especially by Eileen Grey (my hero).

Other stand outs were the bakelite handbags - black and mint! And a beaded dress that simulated draping. Lord!

Topped off with a trip to the Gallery Shop, and this was a pretty perfect way to spend a Sunday morning.