Villa Alba Museum – a beloved historic mansion in Melbourne’s east side previously home to Melbourne Design Week exhibitions and the first Melbourne Sculpture Biennale – is ready for a full contemporary takeover this November.
Commercial gallery Otomys will be celebrating its 15th anniversary with Still Point, a group exhibition that brings together emerging and established Australian and international artists to respond to Villa Alba’s history.
Villa Alba was built and decorated between 1882 and 1884 for Anna Maria McEvoy and her husband, the banker William Greenlaw. From 1897, the house was leased and later occupied by a succession of owners including the Fripp family, the Royal Women’s Hospital and the Mount Royal Hospital.
Artists such as Caroline Collum, Madisyn Zabel, Chica Seal and Piet Raemdonck will embark on the challenge of creating new work in a new context, responding directly to the mansion’s spaces.
‘In a world saturated by cultural clamour, Still Point offers an alternative, a moment of quiet engagement set within the layered architecture of Villa Alba,’ says Otomys Co-Director Megan Dicks.
Co-Director Hannah Abbott continues, ‘This immersive encounter between artist and place fosters work that could only emerge from the dialogue between contemporary practice and Villa Alba’s richly evocative setting.’
Artistic mediums in Still Point span painting, printmaking, sculpture, textile and mixed media, with artists coming from a range of backgrounds and unique explorations. For example, exhibiting artist Colin Pennock picked up painting and drawing as a Police Constable in Northern Ireland, sketching while on duty during the height of the Troubles. His style was born from a desire to be immersed in nature and find harmony after a turbulent past.
Otomys was founded in 2010 and has exhibited more than 60 artists from Australia, as well as Europe, Asia, South Africa and America. The main gallery is located at 424 Malvern Road, Prahran.
Still Point runs from 13-23 November at Villa Alba.
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Also on ArtsHub: A new chapter for The Little Bookroom in Melbourne
The Little Bookroom, a cornerstone of Melbourne’s literary scene for over six decades, has recently reached its initial fundraising efforts to support what they’re calling ‘a new chapter’. The funds will allow the store to re-open in a new location – East Brunswick Village – within months.
After weathering recent challenges, this milestone reflects Michael Earp’s (former store manager and now the new owner of The Little Bookroom) commitment to literacy and local culture – but also the community’s deep love for the world’s oldest children’s bookshop. Generous donors contributed through a recent fundraising campaign to meet the initial target goal. Earp spoke to ArtsHub about this fundraising effort and their new position.
What’s the history behind The Little Bookroom?
Earp: The Little Bookroom has been a Melbourne institution of children’s literature since it first opened its doors 65 years ago in 1960. Founded by Albert Ullin OAM, it has long sought to bring a wide and diverse range of engaging books to readers of all ages. Having held numerous locations since its Melbourne CBD origins, this latest move is part of my new ownership, having taken the baton from The Lambert family who were custodians for 17 years.
I’ve dedicated my entire career to children’s literature – both in my working life and my studies – including having managed The Little Bookroom for five years and being named Bookseller of the Year by the Australian Booksellers Association in 2021. Being able to continue Albert’s extraordinary legacy is exhilarating and a task I don’t take on lightly.
But the response from the community to my call out for support has been astounding, humbling and heartening. To have the initial target of $40k reached in just two weeks proves to me beyond a doubt what this bookshop means to everyone, be they locals who shop with us, authors and illustrators who are returning the support they’ve felt from The Little Bookroom over the years, and others from the book industry who believe that a rising tide lifts all boats – we’re genuinely in this together.
