The 2022 NGV Architecture Commission: Temple of Boom, an evocative reimagining of The Parthenon, has been unveiled in the NGV Garden.
A global architectural icon, The Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, an Ancient Greek temple, is an apex symbol of Western civilisation, democracy and perfection. Temple of Boom celebrates these interpretations, while simultaneously expanding our understanding of the iconic Parthenon building and the enduring beauty it emanates.
Designed by Melbourne-based architects Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang and built to a third scale of the original building, this year’s commission invites audiences to consider the effect of time on all architecture as the structure gradually transforms with large-scale artworks and murals painted by local artists in three phases between November 2022 and August 2023.
Drawing inspiration from the colourful and artistic embellishments that once covered the original building over two-thousand years ago, Temple of Boom debuts with dynamic and eye-catching designs ranging from floral motifs to optical illusions by local contemporary artists. Guest curated by Toby Benador from Just Another Agency, the first phase of artworks features mural by artists Drez, Manda Lane, and David Lee Pereira.
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 has created 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 has depicted 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 has adorned the structure with large-than-life floral motifs that draw attention to nature’s flamboyant use of scent and colour to allure pollinators.
Taking its name from the vibrations of music, Temple of Boom will be a community meeting place and an outdoor venue for a diverse program of performances, programs and music across the summer period.
Presented in partnership with the Hellenic Museum Melbourne, audiences can engage with a program of panel discussions, performances, and a VR experience transporting visitors to The Parthenon and allowing them to walk virtually around the Acropolis in Greece. The historical and cultural significance of the Parthenon and its continuing resonance for the Greek diaspora will be celebrated with further programming across the nine-month installation.
Weekly from 16 December to 14 April, some of Melbourne’s best DJs will also perform as part of the return of NGV Friday Nights this summer.
Tony Ellwood AM, Director of the NGV, said: ‘One of the most famous examples of classical architecture, The Parthenon in Athens is often viewed as a potent symbol of Western art and culture. This thought-provoking work by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang invites us to consider how we create and imbue architecture with meaning, as well as how this meaning can shift across time periods and cultures.’
The NGV Architecture Commission is an annual series that invites Australian architects to create a work of site-specific, ephemeral architecture for the NGV Garden.
The NGV Architecture Commission 2022: Temple of Boom is 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 and The Hugh D.T. Williamson Foundation.
The NGV Architecture Commission Design Competition process is developed and delivered by CityLab.
ABOUT THE ARCHITECTS
Adam Newman is an architect at NWMN, a small architecture practice based in Melbourne. At NWMN, Adam’s principal focus is on adaptive building re-use and regeneration through the lens of conscious engagement with local ecologies. He has broad experience at the scales of urban master planning, social housing regeneration, civic and residential architecture, and industrial design and fabrication. Adam is a registered architect (ARBV), a member of Architeam, and a teaching associate at Monash University, Department of Architecture.
Kelvin Tsang is lead designer and technical director at NWMN. His interests lie in using narrative-driven architectural design and image production to promote conversations about architecture’s role as a driver of positive change.
Along with practice-based work on residential, commercial and interior projects, Kelvin is a teaching associate at Monash University, Department of Architecture. With a Master’s degree in Architecture from Monash University, Kelvin received Top Student in Master’s Studio and Top Project in Masters Studio in consecutive years.
ABOUT THE NGV ARCHITECTURE COMMISSION SERIES
Since its inception in 2016, the annual NGV Architecture Commission has enlivened the NGV’s Grollo Equiset Garden, creating a place for community, programs and events, as well as respite from the summer sun. Ranging from a pink pool inspired by Australia’s inland salt lakes to a thought-provoking meditation on the architectural legacy of Traditional Owners, the 2022 Architecture Commission marks the series’ seventh iteration.
The NGV Architecture Commission has previously been designed by Taylor Knights + James Carey (2021), Yhonnie Scarce and Edition Office (2019), MUIR + OPENWORK (2018), Retallack Thompson and Other Architects (2017), M@ STUDIO Architects (2016), John Wardle Architects (2015).
PREVIOUS NGV ARCHITECTURE COMMISSION WINNERS
2015 NGV Architecture Commission, 2016 NGV Architecture Commission, 2017 NGV Architecture Commission,
2018 NGV Architecture Commission, 2019 NGV Architecture Commission, 2021 NGV Architecture Commission