The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia

I was so happy to wander this beautiful place. Lots of interesting art exhibits when I visited, and I really enjoyed the 1^st levels student exhibit. There aren’t really free galleries where I’m from, I was a big fan!

This is one of my favourite parts of the National Gallery of Victoria. It’s always changing and there are always small, free exhibits running. This makes it a perfect spot to just drop in when passing by, without committing hours of time to it.
They have a lot of modern, accessible and fun installations — some recent favourites include the history of t-​shirt art and the incredible video/​photography work of ‘Suburban’ by Ian Strange.
And hey, if you pop your head in and the current gallery isn’t to your taste — you’ve wasted no money and precious little time. Well worth a look.

This review is for the MelbourneNow happening 22 November 2013 — 23 March 2014 at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia Fed Square; this exhibition is also at the NGV International.
This collection is engaging, thought provoking and inspiring. There is something for every body — art aficionados, kids, hipsters, couples and parents. There are several interactive pieces – not just for little kids – that make this exhibition more interesting than your average.
Highlights for me were found on level three.
I will be back for a third and hopefully forth time before the exhibition comes to a close.
Now, the building. The Ian Potter Centre is amazing even without taking what’s inside into account. The structure, the materials, the layout, the way the light comes in and the view from each of the windows provides a peek at Melbourne City below from all different angles. Explore every square metre, you’ll be rewarded with quiet spaces and incredible views.
The Member Centre and the gallery shop are light, airy and welcoming, I find them more cheery than the NGV on St Kilda Rd.

Part of the art gallery circuit, I enjoy getting lost in this building, some find this annoying about it. Again steer clear of the blockbusters and the bookshop.

I kept getting told to check out the Ian Potter Centre, but it really wasnt very high on my to do list to be honest. I prefer my cultural immersions to be of the live performance type, because whilst I can tell people put alot of hard work into a piece of art, I dont really understand it, or if I’m brutally honest care that much about it.
However, I was in the area with a couple of hours to spare and I thought I’d go and see what all fuss is about — check it off the list, so to speak.
I will say that even for a non arty person like myself, it was worth a visit.
The building is pretty remarkable, but of course its the exhibitions that are the focus. They have a permanent collection on display, as well as exhibitions that are there for a short period of time. The work ranges from different periods of time in history, and cover indigenous art, local and international work.
I would say to those who are like me and arent really into art, give it a go. You wont become an art lover over night, but soemtimes its fun to do something a little different.

I’m always running late whenever I have to go somewhere that requires me to walk past the Ian Potter Centre. I can’t help but go inside, even if it’s just for a quick look. Most recently I was lured in by a tractor on its side just inside the foyer as part of the 10 Way To Look At The Past exhibition, featuring works by contemporary Australian artists. I’m always really impressed by the exhibitions here — but the permanent collection is also excellent and very worthy of your time, even if you’ve only got a bit to give. The Indigenous art is amazing.
The building itself is very serene and quite beautiful to walk through. You’ll have to leave your bags at the bag check in the foyer before you head upstairs. There are sections of the building where you can see outside through tall windows, past the vast cement façade of the building — sometimes I think I like those areas the best!

The Ian Potter centre is another attraction that I visited and checked off my to do list in Melbourne and I can say it was well worth the hour. It is close to plenty of other attractions, so visiting this museum doesn’t require any extra travel.
I am not one to ponder and linger around every art piece and consider myself to belong to the category «I don’t know art, but know what I like» kind of people. So, when I visited this museum, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself thinking a lot about art and in particular what skills are required to become an artist. The indigenous art is fascinating. The Australian art includes paintings, photographs and drawings.
The building itself is quite arty and interesting.