That Melbourne is so hot right now.
Apart from the fact that it’s literally forty fuckin’ degrees and showing no signs of cooling down, the city’s cultural calendar is giving our formidable heatwave a run for its money.
The Australian Open is in full swing, bringing with it some of the world’s finest athletes and famous faces. The Yarra‘s got a neon party barge floating down its filthy (but beloved) passageway every night. Sugar Mountain is set to go off this weekend.
The most anticipated event in the city’s choccas January calendar, though, is surely the National Gallery of Victoria‘s Triennial Extra.
It’s a free, 10-day festival featuring the crème de la crème of Melbourne’s performance art, music and food scenes. The dynamic and diverse celebration includes pop-up bars and restaurants, thought-provoking talks, tours and interactive performances.
The whole gallery will be open until midnight erry night, and they’ll be live streaming the tennis in the NGV Garden, too.
Did we mention it’s totally, 100% free?
There’s a heck tonne on, so you’re spoiled for choice on where to go and what to see. Here’s where you’ll find us.
MUSIC: Miami Horror DJ set
The NGV have enlisted some of ‘Straya’s fave musicians and tastemakers to spin their favourite tracks every night of the festival in the NGV Garden. Located just behind the building on St Kilda Road, the garden is a lush little alcove to retreat to after you’ve had your art fix.
Certified summertime party starters Miami Horror will be kicking off proceedings with a set at 9pm tonight.
Tex Perkins, The Jungle Giants, Dan Sultan, Saskwatch and Nina Las Vegas round out the festival’s very healthy line up.
Fri 19 – Sun 28 Jan, 9 – 11pm
FOOD: Supernormal Natsu
One does not call themselves a Melburnian ’till they’ve tasted the treats of Supernormal. Those lobster rolls? I cannae.
The iconic Flinders Lane restaurant, headed up by award-winning chef and all-round top bloke Andrew McConnell, is taking over the NGV’s Garden Restaurant for the duration of the festival.
Supernormal Natsu will be dishing up seasonal delights from a new and exclusive menu created just for the Triennial. We’re talking spanner crab cocktails, salt water duck with pickled peach and baked meringues lashed with summer berries and lychee sorbet.
You can book your place at the table here. They’ll also be serving up fresh to death takeaway bento boxes if you’d prefer to dine on the lawn.
Fri 19 – Sun 28 Jan, 12 – 10pm
WATCH: Chunky Move Accumulation
A collaboration between the NGV and Melbourne’s internationally acclaimed dance company Chunky Move, Accumulation is a guided dance tour of NGV Triennial featuring five never-seen-before dance performances by over 40 dancers and volunteers.
Special shout out goes to this incredible performer who you might spy getting around in this black, sparkly feather-headed suit. The very definition of extra, if we ever saw it:
Fri 19 Jan, 7pm, 8pm & 9pm
Sat 20 – Wed 24 Jan, 7pm, 8:30pm & 10pm
LISTEN: Growing Up In The Age Of Fake News
Presented by VICE Australia, a bunch of young writers and critics share their takes on the reliabiity of traditional news outlets and discuss the impact fake news is having on the way young people see and understand the world around them.
Panelists include freelance writer and critic Shaad D’Souza and Melbourne writer and poet Madison Griffiths.
Thurs 25 Jan, 6:30pm (all conversation programs are free, but it’s advised you book your spot at ngv.melbourne)
ADMIRE: Legend by Guo Pei
Guo Pei is a Chinese Couturier famous for her elaborate designs. She’s the genius behind that epic yellow ‘omelette’ dress Rihanna wore to the Met Gala back in 2015.
In this installation for NGV Triennial, she presents ensembles from Legend, her 2017 spring–summer couture show in Paris.
The collection, inspired by the Cathedral of Saint Gallen in Switzerland, must be seen to be believed.
PARTICIPATE: In Good Faith Presented By Hana Assafiri And The Speed-Daters
Hana Assafiri, a local Melbourne restauranteur and community figure, is inviting punters to ‘speed date a Muslim’.
It is exactly how it sounds; strangers can come and sit down with Assafiri and a collection of likeminded women and ask them anything about the Muslim faith. No questions are off limits. It’s taking place in the lively Moroccan tea house atmosphere of Hasan Hajjaj‘s ‘Noss Noss‘ installation.
Tues 23 – Thurs 25 Jan, 6pm
And of course, it wouldn’t be a trip to a gallery if you didn’t capture it on Instagram, would it? Thankfully, the NGV have commissioned a whopping twenty large-scale artworks that look almost as good in pictures as they do in the flesh, including:
Ron Mueck’s ‘Mass’:
Xu Zhen‘s ‘Eternity Buddha in Nirvana’:
Yayoi Kusama’s ‘Flower Obsession’:
And Alexandra Kehayoglou‘s ‘Santa Cruz River’:
So, what the bloody hell are you waiting for? Get your comfy sneakers on and head on down for a fix. You won’t regret it.
