Art

You know those scenes in the movies when someone gets a huge bouquet delivered to their office? And all the co-workers gather and gush about what a sweetie the sender must be? Well, you can be that sender in 2025, thanks to Urban List finding the best flower delivery Melbourne has to offer.

Fresh local produce, goods crafted by local creatives, and vintage bargains — Melbourne markets are some of the best, and well worth a Sunday morning peruse with coffee in hand.

The festival of art, light, music and cutting-edge technology, confidently returns in July for its fifth edition, promising more kaleidoscopic installations, late-night gigs set to trippy projections and a cracking new program of dining events. 

Consignment, vintage, flea, thrift–Melbourne’s packed with all the secondhand stores you could ever dream of.

We love Melbourne, but you know ... living in one of the world's best cities comes with a price tag, good thing Urban List has you you covered with a stack of things to eat, drink, do and see all on a shoestring as part of our series Budget Ballin'. This time we've teed up 20 of the best cheap and free things to do in Melbourne to keep both you and your hip pocket happy.

We might not know who Banksy is, but there's no denying the global fascination with his (or their?) art. The enigmatic graffiti artist is renowned for his provocative and often political street art, which is currently showcased in Docklands, following successful runs in London, Amsterdam, and the US.

Transformed into a world of light, colour and music, step into the Royal Botanic Gardens which has been reimagined into an immersive symphony of sights, Lightscape. Across the RBT, the trails, lakes and garden spaces have been enchanted with glowing installations guaranteed to captivate all of your senses. 

Expanding its artistic footprint across Victoria, Wall to Wall is making its way to the beachside suburb of Mordialloc from April 26 to 28 following a successful stint in Benalla. 

January is creeping up on us once again, and the NGV has served up a free after-hours festival set to shake up your summer nights, for 10 days straight. The Triennial EXTRA offers a little piece for everyone to enjoy—from pop-up artist talks and immersive gallery activations to vibe-providing DJ sets. 

It’s 2500 litres of continuous rainfall, where contemporary art, technology and nature collide in a multi-sensory experience—and you’re in the centre. Random International’s Rain Room is returning to Melbourne for its third season, on Wednesday 1 November. 

Everyone who's anyone is rocking a manicured nail these days. From eye-catching nail art to simple nudes and pastels to sharp-ended stiletto talons, there wasn't a bare nail to be found at New York Fashion Week, which means now is the time for a magnificent manicure.

Just shy of a year ago, Melbourne's RISING took the city by a cross-cultural storm with around two weeks of electric events, gigs, performances and experiences, and the good news is that they're officially returning for 2023. Dates have been confirmed—for Wednesday 7 June through to Sunday 18 June—along with the first act. And it's set to be a showstopper. 

If you live in Melbourne, it means you live close to some of the best galleries our great nation has to offer. So, in the spirit of Urban List Art Month, here’s our round-up of some of the best galleries you can feast your eyes on in Melbourne when you’re starving for some culture.

With the new build being part of the Victorian Governments’ $1.7 billion injection to the Melbourne Arts industry, the NGV Contemporary upon completion will become the largest art, design and exhibition space in Australia.

As if there weren't enough reasons to love the NGV, they’ve revealed that their summer blockbuster exhibition will centre around one of the most iconic designers of the late 20th Century, Alexander McQueen.

In what’s almost become a fixture to Victoria’s arts scene, Melbourne’s Rone has announced his latest installation, Time.

The NGV is opening their doors to their winter blockbuster, The Picasso Century. It doesn’t get bigger than this, an entire collection of the Spanish painter and artist’s work will be on display, showcasing his creative development through several movements including surrealism, cubism, post-impressionism and more.

Melbourne's long-awaited arts festival, RISING, is in full swing. So far, punters have eaten like royalty at The Lighthouse,  explored the electric labyrinth that is Golden Square carpark, while some were lucky enough to nab tickets to a riotous gig led by Sampa the Great. 

Even in the middle of winter, you can find Melburnians rugged up on the tram, oat latte in hand, exploring the cultural capital of Australia. Want to see original photographs from one of the world’s most iconic fashion photographers? Done. How about a giant earth sculpture that rotates in sync with its own soundtrack? We have that. A floating gallery that can only be seen from the water? We’ve got it too.

Melbourne’s favourite cultural conclusion to the working week, the NGV Friday Nights series is returning with a banging winter program. Kicking off Friday 10 June, the vibe-filled evenings will see a solid lineup of live performances with NGAIIRE and Kia on the bill for the launch event followed by a series of top Australian talent including Emma Donovan, Harvey Sutherland, Loure, Surprise Chef, Horatio Luna and more. 

It’s been dubbed the world’s most Instagrammable exhibition—selling out stints in Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Las Vegas and Philadelphia—and is now coming to Melbourne.

After a year of cultural pause in Melbourne, 2021 is bringing the goods with more events, festivals and exhibitions than that calendar of yours can handle. The latest announced is a permanent digital gallery, The Lume Melbourne.

Its been a while since we’ve been able to saunter through the halls of the NGV and thankfully after the easing of restrictions this Friday we’ll be able to get back to it. The cultural drought is about to be quenched with a hefty new line-up of exhibitions and events at the gallery kicking off with the French Impressionism exhibition straight from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. 

The Triennial may have just wrapped up, but the NGV’s stacked winter season has only just begun across the two renowned galleries. Their Winter Masterpieces exhibition is, no doubt, slated to be the blockbuster of the year, but there are several others that should be on every culture vulture’s radar coming into the cooler months, like the just-opened We Change The World at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia.

While galleries around the world are keeping their doors shut, Melbourne’s much-loved NGV International is staying open. They’ve just announced the program for the rest of 2021 and it is epic. We’ve had a chat with Senior Curator Miranda Wallace and got the scoop on everything you need to see at the gallery this year. 

Once upon a time, a little animated mouse on a steamboat stole the hearts of many, and now almost one hundred years later, that mouse is the face of one of the biggest and most-loved animation studios in the world. From humble beginnings, Disney has become synonymous with magic, childhood and all things animation. And now for the first time, the Disney: The Magic of Animation exhibition is travelling south of the equator and coming exclusively to ACMI in Melbourne. 

You might have already seen some of the announcements for RISING trickling through your feed, like the Melbourne Art Trams, the Patricia Piccinini’s showstopper exhibition and our initial announcement way back in May 2020, but today is the big day when we announce EVERYTHING. We’re not normally ones for crunching numbers, but with 133 events, including 36 world premieres, featuring 750 Victorian artists over 12 epic nights, these figures speak for themselves. 

It’s no secret we love design in Melbourne. We’re city people who love sleek interiors and we’re obsessed with that old-meets-new, industrial-chic aesthetic—give us some exposed brick and a vertical garden any day. So with that in mind, it’s no surprise that Melbourne Design Week is packed with over 300 events and exhibitions in the program. It all kicks off this Friday 26 March, but don’t stress if you haven’t had time to comb through the program because we’ve done it for you. These are the highlights for you to check out this Melbourne Design Week.

Aptly named SPOOKHOUSE, Mysterious AI's new experience will have you climb aboard a rickety cart and lead you through a twisting labyrinth of animated characters, paintings, projections and special effects.

Artist RONE needs very little introduction.

Melbourne-based artist Troy Emery is showcasing his latest solo exhibition, Sonder, at Linden New Art gallery—and just as much as it’s an aesthetic delight, the show intends to unpack so much more. 

As part of PHOTO 2021 International Festival of Photography, Fed Square will be covered with over 300 faces of Victorians for the next three days.

Melbourne’s beloved Royal Botanic Gardens are transforming into an exhibition space for the inaugural PHOTO 2021 International Festival of Photography. As both the subject matter and the setting for the work, there’s no denying the (horti)cultural significance of the gardens. 

On one hand, the capacity limits at NGV can be seen as a sort of silver lining in that you can wander through the Triennial with at least a few square metres around you, though on the other hand, it means tickets are somewhat of a scarcity—that’s why the NGV is bringing back its evening sessions for an entire month beginning on Friday 15 January.

At 250kms long, Melbourne’s tram network is the largest in the world (low-key flex), so where better to display local artists’ work than on our iconic trams? This year though, the brief is different. For the first time Yarra Trams, Public Transport Victoria, Creative Victoria and RISING are exclusively calling on First Nations artists from Melbourne and greater Victoria to submit their work, in acknowledgement of Melbourne/Naarm’s Traditional Owners and First Peoples.

Summer just got a whole lot better with the lineup announcement for the Heide Museum of Modern Art Summer Festival. Over nine weeks, the Heide sculpture park will be transformed into an outdoor event space packed with live music, dance performances and storytelling events. With both free and ticketed shows lined up, there’s plenty to keep you coming back all summer long.

As if Melburnians needed another drawcard to visit the city, the west corner of the CBD has just scored an ‘Artcade’. The new precinct has been reimagined with stunning works from the likes of Rone, Reko Rennie, Adnate and George Rose, just to name a few.

It’s been around three years since NGV’s inaugural Triennial captured Melbourne in its entirety, and today comes the good news that the exhibition will be returning this December.

The top of Bourke Street will be reimagined into a 24/7 art gallery as part of the City of Melbourne’s plan to rejuvenate the city.

There's nothing quite like spending months on end at your house to realise all the things that are actually annoying you about it, and blank walls are sure to be high on the list.

So your weekend pottery class may have been postponed and pasta-making next Saturday is definitely cancelled, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have hobbies. The NGV is continuing to keep you stimulated with free online drawing classes hosted by several revered Melbourne artists.

The travel industry has been hit hard during the coronavirus pandemic, as has the arts industry.

With the help of Moo+Twig, you can set about making a new DIY leather bow tie dog collar for your precious pooch.

Following the NGV announcing its reopening in late June, Melbourne’s culture vultures can splendour in the news that the Ian Potter Centre will host Destiny Deacon’s first solo show in over 15 years.

We're moving into the second part of 2020, and while a good portion of the year has been spent staring at four walls, we can now well and truly start planning to get out and about more from the start of June.

2020 sure has been a strange year, but it's getting a whole lot weirder right now.

Way, way back in 2012 when everything was in black and white, Melbourne's public transport system moved to MYKI, leaving the previous ticketing system of Metcard behind.

Crockd is all about getting out of your head and into your hands. It’s a DIY pottery kit that can be delivered right to your front door, so there’s no need to break quarantine to get your craft on. 

Just a week back, Melbourne’s beloved NGV closed its doors to the public due obvious concerns you’re no doubt aware of. And while you won’t be strolling the gallery’s Great Hall until least Monday 13 April (a date that’s likely to change with the rapidly evolving situation), you can view almost all of the gallery’s collection online along with a virtual curator’s tour of the Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines exhibition.

Melbourne, along with the rest of Australia, is in the grip of a panic buying saga due to fear of coronavirus isolation. With the constant news stream showing shoppers buying bulk toilet paper, tissues, flower, and more, along with fights and wild behaviour, it might be time to seek an escape from it all.

Art gallery season is back and full swing so it’s time to stop sweating and start soaking in all that sweet, sweet art (the aircon’s just a bonus). From animal compassion to a virtual reality choose-your-own-adventure quest, there’s no shortage of stunning exhibitions to hit up this month. 

If you’re feeling a bit gloomy about the dwindling sunlight situation, we’ve got something that might cheer you up. On the first weekend of April, the banks of the Yarra River will light up with all sorts of cool-looking lanterns that’ll probably propel your Instagram following to influencer levels. (Don’t hold us to it, though.)

One of the artists that you won't want to miss at Can't Do Tomorrow is George Rose. The in-demand artist has transformed Can't Do Tomorrow's talks auditorium from floor to ceiling

There’s no shortage of exhibitions and creative workshops happening around Melbourne. But this month, Can’t Do Tomorrow has really gathered them all under one roof. From street art to breathtaking installation to art chats and workshops, trust us when we say that Can’t Do Tomorrow is truly the only thing you’ll need to attend this month to get your fill on creative inspiration.

Can’t Do Tomorrow is making things easy for us this month when it comes to keeping you up to speed on what’s cool, new and trending. Why? Because the new underground festival has assembled everything that’s cool, new and trending under one roof this month.

You’ve probably already heard about Can’t Do Tomorrow, Melbourne’s new underground festival. And if you haven’t, here’s the quick lowdown: think 10 days packed with interactive installations, jaw-dropping street art, good vibes, hidden bars, live music, and the best part of it all: a chance to meet some of the peeps behind Urban List and mingle with other Urban Listers as well.

Melbourne’s most anticipated underground festival—Can't Do Tomorrow—is kicking off next week and you won’t want to miss it when it hits. With more than 100 artists showcasing exclusive works, secret bars, live acts that’ll get your blood pumping and interactive exhibitions that’ll blow your mind, you best believe this baby is almost sold out. So if you haven’t bought your ticket yet, we strongly suggest you do so ASAP. Use the promo code URBANCDT to get $10 off your ticket cost.

You only have to walk through the front door of the NGV to realise what an amazing asset the gallery is to Melbourne.

We're just days away from street art festival Can't Do Tomorrow kicking off at The Facility in Kensington. And with the array of amazing artists at the festival, you'd be mad not to take advantage of the bargain price of $25 to get in. 

If you haven’t heard of Melbourne’s upcoming street art festival, Can’t Do Tomorrow, get acquainted fast.

In December we announced that a new street art festival would be hitting Melbourne in 2020, and now, just over a month later we’ve got our hands on the epic line-up that Can’t Do Tomorrow will be bringing to The Facility in Kensington.

Silver K Gallery's massive Star Wars and superheroes exhibition is open now with works on show from OG comic book artists, and it’s sticking around until the end of March.

We’ve had an array of amazing exhibitions hit Melbourne over the past 12 months, and now that 2020 is here that’s no sign of that slowing down.

Kaff-eine is a Melbourne artist who needs no introduction. At the very least, if you’re not familiar with her work, you’ll recognise her distinctive style on the side of the Rosebery silo as part of the Silo Art Trail.

The hits at NGV Melbourne just keep on coming. Fresh from us getting over the launch of KAWS solo exhibition, comes a fresh exhibition featuring two of New York City’s most famous street artists.

Melbourne is home to some of the finest street art produced in Australia.

KAWS’ own NGV exhibition, Companionship In The Age Of Loneliness, opened back in September. He’s in Melbourne again for a few days to help launch the Haring X Basquiat extravaganza. “The last time I was here I was so caught up with the installation and getting the show together I didn’t really have time to relax,” he says. “This is much nicer. And these are two of my favourite artists. To have both of them in my sightlines is amazing.”

Melbourne street artist Kitt Bennett and award-winning Melbourne street art network Juddy Roller have teamed up to deliver an Australian first in large-scale public art.

New month, new must-see exhibit at the NGV.

One mural, many hearts—also known as “bleeding hearts”, an iconic mural by Los Angeles and New York-based muralist, James Goldcrown.

MANSION is a fully immersive dance, theatre circus and horror experience that breaks down the wall between performer and audience member which allows you to embark on an interactive horror journey of the senses.

Whether you’re a knitter or a sculptor or a painter or a doodler, here are all the art and craft supply stores you need to check out in Melbourne.

As part of the Uniqlo and KAWS collaboration, Uniqlo will be giving away free KAWS t-shirts tomorrow at an undisclosed location in Melbourne.

The latest event pinging on the FOMO-meter is an immersive installation called Flight in an actual salvaged airplane so you should just resign yourself to the fact that you’ll never sleep again.

We might finally be seeing the sun poke its head through the clouds which means it’s almost thongs weather and a chance to get outside and enjoy everything Melbourne has to offer.

Back in 2017, QV hosted Carla O’Brien’s first-ever solo exhibition and is now thrilled to welcome her back to exhibit a range of new works, including her biggest piece ever created: a giant rainbow-coloured, three-metre long Neon Archway. And who doesn’t love a giant neon archway? People who don’t like fun, that’s who. 

KATENA, an inflatable maze that’s taken the world by storm, is blowing into Melbourne this September.

Underground Cinema is returning to Melbourne in August to present the second instalment of their sold-out immersive film experience from 5 years ago: La Guerre 2.0.

This is not a drill, people: famous Japanese art collective teamLab is part of this year's Melbourne Festival. Various specialists such as artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians and architects form teamLab and together, create some pretty breathtaking installations.

We’ve compiled a list of the best art classes, walks and tours happening around Melbourne, so you can become the cultural expert you’ve always wanted to be.

There have been a lot of reasons to visit Werribee Mansion in the last few years. But during the last weekend of July, you won’t need an invite or a ticket to a special event to visit Werribee Mansion: it’ll be open to the public for free as part of Open House Melbourne.

With some unbelievable works from 35 Australia and International booksellers, you can expect a diverse and wide range of work at the Melbourne Rare Book Fair.

The Bastille Day French Festival will return to Melbourne in what will be its fifth year bringing the best that France has to offer.

A guide to Melbourne street art is, by definition, out of date. It’s like making a guide for the weather. Wait a week, a month, a couple of hours, and new murals will emerge. That’s the thing about the Melbourne internationally recognised street art scene: it’s never satisfied. Well-known artists like Ghostpatrol, Ha-Ha, Kaff-eine, Rone, and Lushux are out there pretty much every night, trying new things.

White Night is scheduled to dazzle Melbourne for another installation this year, except instead of one single night, we’re getting three. That’s right: three nights of tip-toeing around in the cold and rubbing our hands together for what’s looking like a pretty sweet lineup.

If you’re a Marvel fanatic, then head over to the Shot Tower in Melbourne Central next month and shower your eyes with 80 years worth of Marvel art.

If you too have been suffering from seasonal affective disorder, let me just throw some words out there for you: fireworks, flame jets, fire twirlers and flaming sculptures. This year, the City of Melbourne is planning its biggest ever iteration of Firelight Festival and we’re bloody excited.

Is there ever a weekend where Melbourne isn’t packed to the brim? This week we've got the launch of Nike Air Max sneakers, a design trade show (helloooo new furniture!), a life-sized LEGO car and free tacos galore….count us the hell in.