NGV International - 5 Hours in My Favorite Museum EVER
Yayoi Kusama – Flower obession 2017
Ron Mueck – Mass 2016–17
Who spends FIVE HOURS in a museum? This nerd does. The NGV International was definitely my favorite stop on my trip to Melbourne. I visited the museum on the recommendation of my Airbnb host & friend, Chloe and was expecting to spend a short morning here. Little did I know, it was the NGV’s Triennial and I would be happily exhausted when I finally left the museum in search of food.
The NGV Triennial was a free contemporary art and design exhibition featuring works from over 100 artists and designers from 32 countries. These were HUGE artists in the art world whose works were all displayed in ONE place. Once I had this knowledge, I knew most of my day would be spent here.
I wandered into the NGV after getting a morning coffee at Mark Lane Coffee and in no time, five hours flew by! I fell in love with the incredible architecture of the building, the ample space that each piece was able to encompass and the natural flow of the rooms. My first stop was Yayoi Kusama’s Flower Obsession room – one of my favorite modern artists. I naturally moved into more and more amazing exhibits until my stomach had me stop into Hassan Hajjaj’s takeover of the cafe area with his installation. The delicious Moroccan meatballs I had for lunch fueled my for the rest of my incredible journey through the building.
The photos hopefully show you why this became my favorite museum EVER but you need to visit this place to truly understand. The NGV is a well respected museum and I’m sure any show they put on in the future is world class and worth checking out. The Great Hall (in the photo below) alone makes the NGV worth visiting.
Waterwall entrance to NGV International. Water is physically streaming down the water wall. It’s a beautiful thing and casts a very interesting light into the space.
The world’s largest stained glass ceiling in NGV’s Great Hall, designed by Leonard French. I LOVED this piece and the room was such a serene space to sit in.
Hassan Hajjaj – Noss Noss 2014. A free photo booth set up for guests to take photos on their own.
Hassan Hajjaj – Noss Noss 2014. Grabbed a delicious lunch in NGV’s Gallery Kitchen that was transformed into a Moroccan tea house by Hajjaj.
Pae White – (Untitled) 2017. A bit dizzy-ing but very cool.
This piece is right in the atrium as you enter! Xu Zhen – Eternity-Buddha in Nirvana, the Dying Gaul, Farnese Hercules, Night, Day, Sartyr and Bacchante, Funerary Genius, Achilles, Persian Soldier Fighting, Dancing Faun, Crouching Aphrodite, Narcissus Lying, Othryades the Spartan Dying, the Fall of Icarus, A River, Milo of Croton 2016–17.
Alexandra Kehayoglou – Santa Cruz River, 2017. The ceiling mirror element was very interesting and made the piece very engaging.
Yayoi Kusama – Flower obession 2017
You know I laid on the floor and enjoyed all the interactions of the guests with the piece. #selfie
Nick Cave – Soundsuit series. Nick Cave’s piece are always great and have such intricacies. All arranged in such a beautiful way.
Yayoi Kusama – Flower obession 2017. I was surprised that the room was much more empty than most Kusama installations I have attended. The rooms were equally amazing and creepy.
Faig Ahmed – Hal 2016
Yayoi Kusama – Flower obession 2017
“Yayoi Kusama’s Flower obsession, 2017, recreates a furnished domestic space. Visitors are invited to apply red flower motifs to the walls, furniture and objects. Over the duration of the exhibition, the proliferation of flowers will gradually cover all surfaces, ‘obliterating’ and transforming the space into a spectacular environment.” – NGV.
Oki Sato (designer) | Nendo, Tokyo design studio – The Manga chairs 2015 & The Trace lights 2016. Clean, beautiful, simple designs. <3