When Ictinus and Callicrates completed Greece’s Parthenon nearly two and a half thousand years ago, they never could have imagined their work would be recreated in vibrant technicolour millenniums later, but that’s exactly what Melbourne is getting this summer at the NGV. Called the Temple of Boom, the installation is the winning design of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission and will undoubtedly be all over your feed this summer.
Created by Melbourne-based architects Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang, the project offers a fusion of architecture and art that is set to transform over the coming months as a trio of other artists contribute their own efforts to the work. The Greek-inspired structure stands two-thirds the size of the original Athenian temple and is located at the Grollo Equiset Garden of the NGV International.
As well as being the planned site of events such as a VR trip to the original Parthenon and performances by local DJs, the Temple of Boom will continue to be painted by three different artists over the warmer months. Included is the visual artist David Lee Pereira, whose concerns explore fluid concepts of identity through large-than-life floral motifs, and the muralist and illustrator Manda Lane who creates growing flora-based images as a metaphor for individual progress and personal growth.
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The final artist set to add to the Temple of Boom is multidisciplinary artist Drez, who draws historical inspiration from the Greenbergian Modernism and Op-Art schools to create a bridge between abstract art and street art. All three artists have already made early additions to the installation, with further work to continue as the exhibition goes on.
Set to open to the public from the 4th of December, the Temple of Boom at the NGV will be exhibited until October 2023 for all to enjoy. It’s free to visit, so make sure you take an afternoon to check it out at some point this summer.
