 I’m a shower person, but I gave in to a bath when back home from my trip down south. This laze that overtook me was extended by my much-appreciated partner boiling water to deepen the warmth of time there. Incidentally this time was way longer than time spent in the air of the flight from Sydney to Melbourne. If only the flight was just half of the journey, but living in regional NSW, the travel reality includes multiple legs and lots more hours to occupy waiting for the next connection. During the train leg back, I did manage a micro nap somewhere between Mount Victoria and Lithgow, open mouth style just before 3 in the morning. It reminded me of some overnight travels when I was back in my twenties. Such unsensible itineraries like this were orchestrated more regularly back then.
I’d woken that morning above a pub in Fitzroy to hear the clang of the early trams on the street below. In defiance of my list of a myriad things to do, I wandered the streets for hours and sat on the park bench watching the city world go by. Revelling in the regenerative feeling of spending time in observations, I’d stopped earlier at a half-eaten banana resting on the windowsill on a street corner. Laneways invited me in, a tree hid a house just behind, shadows swayed in the wind, a currawong sang from a spire above, ghost signs gave clues to life from before, kids balanced doubling up on bikes whizzing by, the smell of fresh grass filled the air, construction hummed in the distance layered with sirens of urgency, and an assortment of plastic bags danced with the obstacles they met. I had travelled for the night before for the opening at Art & Collectors in Fitzroy. Thank you to Angela Tandori, Sophie Lodge and Ella Carney-Fisher - an amazing team. Working with a significant flow of secondary market art including works on paper they have the most delicious set of waist-high antique wooden plan drawers. The scored marks on the bench tops reveal a working life for these beauties. Angela tells me they were originally from Port Jackson Printing Press. This gallery’s current series of exhibitions play with a concept of mixing secondary market works with works selected directly from contemporary artists’ studios. Beauties on the walls include John Baird Green Table, Katherine Hattam The kitchen chair and Vida Lahey White daisies in brown bowl. Joining all upstairs at the opening were artists Anh Nguyen, Alix Hunter, Jesse Dayan and Kate Vella - a delight to meet and swap stories. Past the Fitzroy towers just five blocks away in Fitzroy Library a happenstance greeted me with Florence Wang’s Let The Night Fall. We had met just the month before, with both of us having work in the Art Gallery of NSW Wynne Prize 2026, and here we were again meeting up through our works, this time in Fitzroy. Through my walking around Fitzroy, I could relate to the ordinariness of the everyday depicted in Florence’s night scenes from nearby. And along with this ordinariness is a liveliness too in the compositions, juxtapositions, and stories seen and depicted from these places. After jumping on another tram, I gave a nod-smile to Julian Opie’s Australian birds, comprising of 20 LED screens of animated ibis and other birds of feather out on the nature strip welcoming those into the National Gallery of Victoria. With a crowd around Yayoi Kusama’s fabulous 5-metre-tall polka dotted Dancing pumpkin, it felt surreal to walk the ramps solo, one after the other, with no people in sight. Back in the gallery rooms I met Frank Lloyd Wright’s character-full Office chair from the Larkin Company administration building, buffalo, New York and Meret Oppenheim’s L’Ecureuil, The squirrel. Her amalgamation of a foaming glass of beer with furry tailed handle held me with its ambiguity and crude awkwardness. I was reminded of my time leaving Paris by train with a squirrel no less. Other delights included … ⁃ Shanghai Dragon Dumpling House lunch - soooo yummy - with the yummiest of friends - thanks Alice. ⁃ Chocolate cannoli at Flinders Lane Brunettis ORI with Sarah before my Myki card education and tram ease became me. ⁃ Experiencing Simone Boon’s solo exhibition at Otomys. The movement suggested in her photographic works was accentuated with the slightest of breezes gently expanding them off walls. These works give the impression that the elements have taken over – like watching pigmented water slowly move and blend through time. ⁃ Prosciutto pizza for dinner (and breakfast too!) at the Gertrude Hotel - with dear high school friend Caroline and her youngest Soph. We never skip a beat, getting right back into gritty from our moment together years before. ⁃ Stories shared and memories felt of living back in the mountains where connection came easily. Such icing on the cake to catch up with Emailda. ⁃ And then there was the mystery cropped dark haired tall woman who generously quipped as she exited down the Art & Collectors stairs pointing up “your painting up there, that’s my pick of all the works”. Warm hearted to share - when mine are in such fine company with works by legends in Australian art including Dorothy Braund, Rosalie Gascoigne and so many more. On arrival down south, I’d headed up the stairs and sat up front on the Skybus. Wide eyed I’d lapped up freeway views and the city skyline. Heading out on the trip back home with the drizzle of the night on the Skybus windows, I journeyed inwards with my thoughts and feelings of being enlivened by the joys of simply seeing and just being. Image: Nic Mason, walking the streets of Fitzroy. Links Nic Mason, Still, Alive the quiet continuum webpage http://www.nicmasonartist.com/still-alive-art--collectors.html Art & Collectors https://artandcollectors.com/collections/still-alive-the-quiet-continuum Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes 2026 https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/archibald-wynne-and-sulman-prizes-2026/ Florence way, Let the Night Fall https://www.yarracity.vic.gov.au/things-to-do/arts/events/let-night-fall-florence-wang Julian Opie Australian birds https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/julian-opie-australian-birds/ Yayoi Kusama Dancing pumpkin https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/media_release/simply-gourd-geous-monumental-yayoi-kusama-dancing-pumpkin-sculpture-unveiled-ahead-of-exhibition-opening-15-december/ Frank Lloyd Wright Office chair from the Larkin Company administration building, buffalo, New York https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/20836/ Meret Oppenheim The squirrel Eichhornchen Eureuil https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/158689/ Shanghai Dragon Dumpling House https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/502518253281224/shanghai-dragon-dumpling-house/ Flinders Lane Brunettis ORI https://www.instagram.com/brunettioro1956/?hl=en Simone Boon solo exhibition at Otomys https://otomys.com/viewing-room/75-simone-boon-solo-exhibition/ Gertrude Hotel https://thegertrude.com.au Comments are closed.
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June 2026
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