First one, with R, was to see QUEER: Stories from the NGV Collection, and we only got halfway through the exhibition, which covers the entire 3rd floor. The breadth of the theme - particularly given the approach of exploring the collection through a queer perspective rather than attempting a survey of queer art - made for all kinds of pieces.
Second one, with Hayley, was mainly to see Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala - which was pretty wonderful to spend some time in while marvelling at the work done directly on to bark, and the formal innovations made by these contemporary women artists in the context of culture. Also a visit to the NGVA permanent collection where I had my first somewhat meaningful art encounter in quite a while, being struck by the paint-ness of this one:
Julie Irving - "Shifting" (1989), including detail
