The top of Bourke Street is being transformed into an outdoor art gallery
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

09.12.2020

The top of Bourke Street is being transformed into an outdoor art gallery

Words by Kate Streader

The 24/7 outdoor gallery will feature works from 26 contemporary artists.

Meet UPTOWN, Melbourne’s new outdoor gallery showcasing art, architecture and streetscapes by filling store windows, restaurants, vacant shops, building exteriors and laneways with exciting works from 26 contemporary artists.

Developed as part of City of Melbourne’s plan to rejuvenate the CBD and bring people back to the city post-lockdown, UPTOWN is taking over the top of Bourke Street from Tuesday December 15 until February 28.

Curated by Fiona Scanlan and Robert Buckingham, the free exhibition features pieces by Kent Morris, Destiny Deacon, Elle Shimada, Su san Cohn and more and includes large-scale artworks and installations, shop window drawings, paintings and laneway posters.

“By reimaging the top of Bourke Street as an outdoor gallery, store windows, vacant shops, restaurants, laneways, and building exteriors become the setting for a new art experience; a free 24/7 art walkabout.

“We aimed to create a very public exhibition outside the traditional gallery environment and engage with the world; an art adventure that responds to the scale, history, colour, personalities, and architecture of the top of Bourke Street,” said Scanlan and Buckingham of their vision for Uptown.

“UPTOWN is a very local, very spontaneous, very people-focused creative project designed to reflect this moment in time and the importance of friendship and relationships,” they said.

For more information, visit the UPTOWN website

Never miss a story. Sign up to Beat’s newsletter and you’ll be served fresh music, arts, food and culture stories three times a week.