The first group of three Melbourne artists has been announced by the NGV to layer the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission ‘Temple of Boom’ at the NGV Garden in Melbourne with eye-catching painted artworks.

Designed by Melbourne-based architects Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang, this year’s commission is a contemporary tribute to The Parthenon on the Acropolis.

The artworks of the three artists, Drez, Manda Lane and David Lee Pereira, will be unveiled on 22 November when Temple of Boom opens to the public.

Drawing inspiration from The Parthenon’s original artistic embellishments that covered the building over 2000 years ago, the artworks by the Melbourne artists range from vibrantly coloured floral motifs to optical illusions.

The artists

Drez is a multidisciplinary artist who takes inspiration from art historical perspectives, including the Greenbergian Modernism and Op-Art schools. For this installation, Drez will create a boldly colourful mural that changes composition when viewed from different angles.

Manda Lane is a muralist, illustrator and paper-based artist who uses botanical elements to explore the interactions between the natural world and industrial or man-made objects. In this mural, Lane will depict various growth behaviours of plants, creating a visual metaphor for personal expression and growth.

David Lee Pereira is a visual artist whose works explore the fluidity of gender, sexuality and identity. Influenced by the work of impressionist and surrealist artists Georgia O’Keefe, Salvador Dali and Edvard Munch, Pereira will create larger-than-life floral motifs that draw attention to nature’s flamboyant use of scent and colour to attract pollinators.

Temple of Boom

Temple of Boom invites audiences to consider the effect of time on all architecture as the structure gradually transforms with artworks and murals, painted in three stages between November 2022 and August 2023, with the second and third groups of artists adding further layers of artwork in 2023.

“By inviting local artists to cover this modern interpretation of The Parthenon in contemporary art, Temple of Boom overlays this ancient structure with new connections to time and place – especially here in Melbourne. This thought-provoking work by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang invites us to consider the legacy of architectural symbols like The Parthenon, as well as how this meaning can shift across time periods and cultures,” NGV director Tony Ellwood said.

Temple of Boom is envisioned as a community meeting place and an outdoor venue for a diverse program of NGV-curated performances, events and music across the summer.

On Saturday 26 November, visitors can enjoy an afternoon of free talks, performances, and hands-on making activities for all ages presented in collaboration with the Hellenic Museum. From 16 December to 14 April, some of Melbourne’s best DJs will perform every week as part of the return of NGV Friday Nights this summer.

The NGV Architecture Commission 2022: Temple of Boom will be on display from 22 November 2022 at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Entry is free.

Image credit: Renders of 2022 NGV Architecture Commission Temple of Boom by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang. Renders courtesy of Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang.

Branko Miletic

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