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Whether you're a fan of Damien Hirst’s approach to art production or not,  the controversial British artist must be applauded not only for his paintings commercially savvy edge but - crucially - for the way they make us think about art.

Hirst's 2023 London exhibition, 'The Secret Garden Paintings' are best understood as part of a larger puzzle being pieced together, shaping our present-day understandings of the language of art history, the nature of the art market, and ultimately the cultural zeitgeist of our time. 

And taking a stroll through the National Gallery of Victoria Triennial today in Melbourne may similarly restore one's faith in still life and perhaps, more.

This year’s NGV Triennial features new works by some of the world’s most exciting contemporary artists whose art here sits alongside the gallery’s impressive collection of still life and flower paintings from 17th century Flemish painters to France's premier modernist, Pierre Bonnard, to the American surrealist, Man Ray, providing the visitor with more than some relief. 

This renewed appreciation of still life and flower painting throughout the art world is long overdue.  Or perhaps, its ascendency could not be better timed.

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To discover the characters, happenings and subcultures that make the city of Melbourne what it is today, Andrew McIlroy dives deep into that underworld of hoodlums, whorehouses and gambling dens, to discover the hidden lives of its artists, writers, actors and bonviants, never truly far from its fringes.

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Andrew McIlroy takes a refreshing look at the National Gallery of Victoria Triennial exhibition of 100 extraordinary projects, 120 artists, designers and collectives at the forefront of global contemporary practice under the one magnificent roof.