Hobart shopping guide

This list is far from exhaustive I'm sure, but here are some short notes about the best spots for a browse and a buy that I found whilst in Hobart. Most of these places specialise in creations from small-scale Tasmanian designers or local artisan food producers, meaning that you can get your hands on some unique and yummy things. Also take a peek at my general thoughts on the lovely city of Hobart here.

Hobart visiting guide

My first impression of Hobart was formed through a haze of 4.30am weariness, but the barbarity of the 6.00am flight was more than made up for by the chance of catching the view as we descended: the sunrise’s last glows over layers of rolling hills, mountains and glimmering bays. Below, snatches of lovely straight white beaches, green farmland, and forest. First thing to note: Hobart really is pretty!

Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery

I recently went for an impromptu drive up to the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery and was very impressed, so thought I'd share some of the highlights of their current exhibitions!

The main attraction at the moment is the retrospective 'Michael Shannon: Australian Romantic Realist,' a touring exhibition by the Art Gallery of Ballarat. To be frank, Michael Shannon wasn't in

You've got me up against the wall

Any sets of photos from my travels or my wanderings will inevitably end up punctuated by lots of snaps of ostensibly mundane but enchanting things - walls, doors, and windows, for instance. Isolated from the hum-drum of street life, taken out of the context of their greater buildings, these details can be really lovely, an architectural 'moment' of intimacy. So, here's a (very small) sample of some of the many walls,

Time to step down from the arts high ground

Having just begun an Art Curatorship course, I'm encountering more and more art history students these days. There's nothing wrong with them as a bunch — really, they’re all my kind of lovely, creative people — but there’s a trend I’m noticing that’s getting me a little annoyed. It’s a preponderance of intellectual snobbery.

I Packed the Postcard in My Suitcase

Partly composed of new works commissioned by ACCA, and partly drawing on the artist’s older works, this unique collection of video installations represents the first major survey of Pipilotti Rist’s works to be shown in Australia.

Through four rooms of integrated installations, Rist takes us on a journey through the elements: fire, water, wind, and earth. Each work is

By the beautiful sea

Street artist Rone, from Melbourne's Everfresh Studio, took his distinctive images to the streets and beaches of Jamaica in December, and brought back a whole lot of gorgeous snaps (see the rest here). A landscape of jaded pinks, faded greens, bright blues and dune yellows.  Beautiful!

’Twas in that place o’ Scotland’s Isle

Edinburgh, in my mind and recollection, is a city of theatrical contrasts: Old Town and New Town, vastness and intimacy, drama and comfort. I traveled there in a particularly cold winter, only intensifying this sense.

On the one hand, Edinburgh is a place of great spatial spectacle. Not a very large city, it is set upon a series of