Melbourne is known for its art scene, so while you’re visiting this exciting and contemporary city, make sure you fit in as many of the public exhibitions as you can.
Having a Melbourne car hire will only make these creative endeavours easier to spot. Here’s a list of what you can find at these must-see locations around the city.
Neon Natives
Located on Cocker Alley, this artwork is not far from Melbourne’s art hub, Flinders Lane.
The exhibition is made up of a collection of Australian native animals set against a geometric-patterned background of diamonds, a cultural identifier amongst the Kamilaroi people.
Artist Reko Rennie is of Kamilaroi, Gamilaraay and Gummaroi descent and his works are designed to explore what it means to be an urban Aboriginal in modern Australia.
This work is a perfect demonstration of this motif, with the native animal imagery traced with neon lights for a beautiful nighttime display.
This piece of work is only available until March 31, 2014 so it might pay to book your International or Domestic Melbourne Airport car rental early.
At the point where we can see nothing
Located along Little Errol Street, this installation has been constructed from neon and represents all six shades on the colour wheel.
The text ‘to the point where we can see nothing, everything has become clear’ is written in this variety of colours, and forms a continuous circular loop.
It conveys a message about the saturation of information that contemporary society in Australia faces. It’s located in a particularly apt spot where it is possible to view a vast array of signage and other advertising where the goal is to encourage the sale and consumption of goods.
It will be on display until August 2014.
Our flower garden
This is an ever-changing installation located in the heart of Melbourne on La Trobe Place, which echoes the rhythms of the city and the movement of people walking past.
It is a garden made up of multi-colored pinwheels that move with the wind.
It was produced by Sonia Rentsch and Ben Davis who were commissioned by the Melbourne Public Art Program, and it will be on display until the end of March 2015.
Unset typologies
This is a photo mural banner that depicts a transitional site, where light fittings, vents, ceiling panels, and lights are suspended in the air as part of a building’s transformation.
It is located on the CitiPower Substation, which is an example of the industrial building style the artist, Izabela Pluta, is attracted to. It is a space caught between its past and future.
This mural could be a great one to view if you are new to Melbourne, as it makes you contemplate what the CBD used to look like while helping you to envisage the future.
Raising the Rattler Pole – The Last of the Connies
This beautiful display is a feature of the area near Flinders Street and is a tribute to the iconic Melbourne W Class ‘rattler’ trams.
It is a 1:1 scale model of one of the 1040 trams, which was the last to be built by the Preston Tram Works to service the Bourke Street area in the 1950s.
However, this tram has been turned on its head and tilted by a further 10 degrees.
It is best to head to see this artwork at night as its headlights and windows are lit up in a way that resembles a block of apartments filled with people undergoing their nightly activities.
This display was created by David Michael Bell, a freelance artist and designer who has a real passion for creating large-scale public artworks.