Temple of Boom

The NGV has announced the first three Melbourne artists to layer the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission Temple of Boom with dynamic and eye-catching painted artworks this summer.

Opening on 22 November, this year's commission in the NGV Garden is a contemporary tribute to global architecture icon, The Parthenon on the Acropolis.

Ranging from vibrantly coloured floral motifs to optical illusions, the artworks draw inspiration from the colourful and artistic embellishments that covered the original building over two-thousand years ago.  

Designed by Melbourne-based architects Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang, 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 phases between November 2022 and August 2023.

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

Drez is a multidisciplinary artist based in Melbourne who uses colour and form to play with perspective. Drawing inspiration from art historical perspectives, including the Greenbergian Modernism and Op-Art schools, Drez's work creates an intersection between abstract art and street art. 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 from Collingwood, Victoria. With a keen focus on botanicals, her art explores the interactions between the natural world and industrial or man-made objects. In this mural installation, 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 adorn the structure with large-than-life floral motifs that draw attention to nature's flamboyant use of scent and colour to allure pollinators.

Temple of Boom will be painted in three stages with the second and third group of artists adding further layers of artwork in 2023.

Tony Ellwood AM, Director of the NGV, said: '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.'

Taking its name from the vibrations of music, Temple of Boom is envisioned as a community meeting place and an outdoor venue for a diverse program of NGV-curated performances, programs and music across the summer period.

Visitors are invited to celebrate the opening week on Saturday 26 November with 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 historical and cultural significance of the Parthenon and its continuing resonance for the Greek diaspora will also be celebrated with diverse programming across the nine-month installation.

The NGV Architecture Commission 2022: Temple of Boom will be on display from 22 November 2022 at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Free entry. Further information is available via the NGV website: NGV.MELBOURNE

The 2022 NGV Architecture Commission is supported by Principal Partner Macquarie Group, Design Partner RMIT University, The Hugh D. T. Williamson Foundation and CERES Fair Wood.

The NGV Architecture Commission Design Competition process is developed and delivered by CityLab.