Fed Square Adventure Day

I'm now back home after having a wonderful time with my three adorable 

grandsons O'Shea, Finn and Louis. It's always very sad leaving them.

Granny Dave with Finn, Louis and O'Shea - Love these boys. 

On the weekend seeing I was catching up with some girlfriends in the city for lunch, I thought I'd get an earlier train and check out NGV Australia (National Gallery of Victoria) at Federation Square. It is also known as the Ian Potter Centre. When I got there the square and surrounds were filled with thousands of people for the Japanese Summer Festival.

The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia is an art gallery that houses the Australian part of the National Gallery of Victoria's collection. I've never visited this Australian site 

before and was very pleasantly surprised.

There are over 20,000 Australian artworks which include paintings, sculptures, prints, photography, fashion and textiles. This collection is one of the oldest and most famous in the country. Some well known works at the gallery include Frederick McCubbin's, The Pioneer (1904), Tom Robert's, Shearing of the Rams (1890) and many more.

The Pioneer - Frederick McCubbin 1904

 The three panels of  The Pioneer tell a story of a free settler, a farmer who has chosen some land to clear and farm, and his family. The story is ambiguous, like many of McCubbin's other works and McCubbin chose not to respond when controversy broke out over the "correct" meaning.

The left panel shows the settler and his wife settling on their selection of land; in the foreground the woman is deep in thought. In the centre panel, the baby in the woman's arms indicates that some time has elapsed. A cottage, the family home, can be seen in a clearing through the trees. The right panel shows a man crouching over a grave. A city is visible in the background, again indicating that time has passed. It is unclear whose grave it is, and if the man is the pioneer, the baby from the centre panel, or a stranger stumbling across the grave.

Lost - Frederick McCubbin - 1907

For some reason this painting really grabbed my attention.

I think you can feel the young boys sadness 

There is also some fantastic indigenous art which includes amazing works by 

William Barack, Emily Kngwarreye and many other talented artists.

No words needed

I loved this, it was so striking

This textile piece was amazing

A close up of the previous piece - amazing!!

It was not only the art that grabbed my attention. The smooth surfaces of the concrete walls with the various angles really gave the whole space a great feeling. This staircase also grabbed my attention.

Looking out the windows showed all the different angles.

I couldn't help but marvel at all the angles and the tactile feel of the concrete walls. 

I know it's just a staircase - but a pretty cool staircase!

Next time your looking for a little adventure and your anywhere near Melbourne CBD I'd really recommend paying NGV Australia a visit.

Then when I let the NGV, I came across something I've never seen before. It was Niska Robotic Ice-Cream Bar. Yes and ice-cream shop where you are served by a robot, your ice-cream is scooped by a robot and you pick up from a robot. Go figure! I was going to get one but the line was just to long. 

Niska Robotic Ice-Cream Bar

#my2020journey