My Kind of Museum

The other reason I went to Hobart was to check out a museum that opened back in 2011. I think it's safe to say its unlike any other museum I've been to or have heard of. It's not so much of a museum as a public display of a David Walsh's private art collection (possibly the largest private collection in Australia.) After visiting the museum I started a bit of research of this David Walsh. He has built his wealth through gambling. Starting out with card counting and has since moved on to software to output results. One company has said that the yearly turnover of his gambling syndication is around $600 million.

Seeing as though this is his private collection, I wondered where and how you buy ancient antiquities. Think sarcophagus's, ancient pottery, coins and fused with some of the most contemporary art. From what I've heard, when he was card counting, he was gambling in Europe and won so much he couldn't leave countries with that much. So he bought antiquities instead of carrying cash, like you do.

But back to the museum, MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). The building was built around a historic home a few kilometers up river from downtown Hobart. You can drive, but to get the best view is to take the ferry. And like you might expect, it's no ordinary ferry.






I splashed out for the VIP seating because, well, what the hell. It's vacation. With that I got free food, free drinks, including beer and wine from the onside brewery (Moo Brew) and winery (Morilla Estate) and a free tasting at the winery. All in, the extras pretty much paid for the ticket.


I'm not sure how many pictures I can post from inside given their strict policy, but I'll give it a go anyways. You enter from the Dewent River by 99 stairs to a small unassuming house. And since this is a private art collection, the architect had to bend on a few things they probably didn't want. Namely, the tennis court out front.


















The sense of humor surrounding the museum is great. A reflection of David Walsh from what I gather. He was investigated for not paying enough taxes and told the government if they keep pushing and he had to pay, it will close the museum. And he said he's fine with it and would turn the air conditioning off and sit there and watch the art rot. He settled, and the museum lives. For now.








You'd never guess that the single story house houses a 6,000 square metre museum. Twice the size of MoMA in New York. Remember, this is a private art collection. The cost of the museum is rumored around 75-100 million for the construction alone. Not including the art it houses. And with this unassuming front, where do you put 6,000 square metres?

Down. Over 15 metres into solid bed rock.






That's a bar waiting for when you enter the start which is the bottom floor. To help numb your senses before you go in.





Yes, that's a trampoline. It is after all a contemporary art gallery as well.

The architecture of the building is just stunning. It was cool to see a contemporary building built to house a contemporary art gallery. Instead of trying to force contemporary art into an existing space.

I was a bit intrigued by the Eternity Membership to the museum. And at $75,000 fee you have to be dedicated. On top of the special events to the museum, you get one special treat. You get to display your ashes in the museum after you die. And yes, there is one taker. David Walsh's dad.



Not the best picture, but that's a black egg with black diamonds being watched by a stuffed raven with more black diamonds. Twisted, yet light, way to start the tour. There are very few white walls with descriptions that you find at most museums. What MONA offers instead is an iPhone app with a special geolocation that allows you to hit the button and it will display info about the works near you so you can read as much or as little as you want. Pretty imaginative. It's rather hard to describe everything so I'll just post some of my favorite pictures I snapped.



The lights would flicker based on the pulse of a museum attendee.


Best art of the ping pong table was that there were paddles and balls to play.


A Japanese tea room made of mirrors. When the exhibit opened, there was a girl is a mirrored kimono performing a typical Japanese tea ceremony.

The museum has been called he museum built around sex and death. While there were plenty of references to both throughout, some were more interesting than others.


I didn't notice this until I loaded the pictures onto my laptop. With the zoom I had I didn't notice the small skeleton perched on top of this bee.





Trippy room. Not sure what it was going for, but a trip walking and sliding through it in socks.


The white library.


Maybe my favorite exhibit. A room or squares where you walk in and enter a smaller room to walk again to a smaller room each a bit darker and darker. Throughout the hallways were ancient Egyptian antiquities to look at inside the contemporary art exhibit. I legitimately screamed at the last room when I had to duck down to enter a room with only floor lights. Nothing on the walls like you see above and then I looked up. And fuck me, it was a mirror. I jumped at my own reflection. After walking through these walls and thinking, I wasn't expecting that. I think the people waiting to go we're a bit curious of what was inside after I almost ran out not really comprehending what just happened. But, they did the same.


This was by a Chicago artist. It lots like a bit orb with holes cut out to see heads and hands and things flickering inside. It wasn't till I got to this angle I noticed its a face.


This room was my favorite (or one of them). The death room. I entered alone down a stone path surrounded by water died black. The you enter this room. In the coffin to the left is a sarcophagus. To the right is a digital display of x-rays of the coffin straight down to the bones on the inside. The noose and poem just emphasize the quiet, solitary creepiness. The slight dripping water echoing in the room made sure you know you are underground.











A living wall. Made with algae it slowly crumbles until its all gone.


A real human centipede?


Another interesting exhibit. In the foreground is an aluminum budda frame that was packed with 8 tonnes of incense ash collected from temples throughout China. The exhibit was enhanced with a man playing a flute of sorts.



You could probably call this the tunnel of weird noises.





I'm not big on having my picture taken, so this seemed fitting.

There was a lot more to see and I'd definitely recommend stopping by if you're ever in this part of the world. I'll definitely be back. The next day I stumbled across an off shoot of a MONA yearly festival Dark Mofo that had some more crazy contemporary art exhibits.

But as usual, more on that another day.