Hobart - MONA

Wednesday 18 November was a rest day so we used it to visit MONA - the Museum of Old and New Art. Situated on the banks of the Derwent River at Berriedale the museum is located on the property of the Moorilla Winery. It is a privately funded museum that challenges visitors to rethink their views about art. You don't have to necessarily like all the exhibits but going to Mona is definitely an experience.

There is a regular ferry service from Brooke Street ferry terminal to Mona. As the trip takes almost 30 minutes this is a good opportunity to see parts of Hobart and the surrounding area from the water.

Once we arrived at the dock there was a walk involving 90 steps to the museum.

At the top there are a number of outdoor exhibits to explore.

Elaborate metal-work vehicles

Tennis court, trampoline &  bells outside the museum

We then entered the museum itself. There is a lift but we chose to go down the stairs to the bottom level.

Corridor on lower level

The exhibition spaces have been cut out of the sandstone so the entrance is along a narrow passage way with high walls. At the end of the first corridor is a water-wall onto which words taken from recent online stories are projected. The day we visited Mona many of the words related to the recent bombings in Paris. The walls of the museum form a maze on several levels with artworks displayed as you wander through the passages.

Wikimedia Commons

One of my favourite exhibits is The Snake by Sidney Nolan. The 1620 pieces cover an area measuring 5.6 metres high by 44 metres wide. It is impressive from floor level but even more impressive viewing it from the balcony.

White Library

The room above contains what presents as shelves of white books - a librarian's nightmare.

Some of the exhibits have a Dr Who feel about them. One of these is an opening in a wall leading to to a passage. The walls of the passage contain numbers and eventually lead into a small room with a high ceiling that is actually a mirror. Looking up provides an unusual experience.

In some of the galleries Egyptian and Assyrian sarcophagus and other artefacts are displayed with modern art works - an interesting juxtaposition of time and style.

View from restaurant balcony

Back at ground level we had lunch on a balcony with a great view. We then continued to explore the grounds of the complex.

The Chapel

Stage and entertainment area

Ducks don't read signs about not feeding birds

Vineyards

Another view of Mona

When boarding the ferry for the return trip to Hobart we noticed a display of sheep on the top deck - different.

There are some very strange items and exhibitions on show in the gallery - not necessarily the style of art we normally seek in a gallery. However if you go to Mona you need to look at the overall effect of what is on display. The passage-ways are often narrow and dimly lit, artworks can be confronting and some of the exhibition spaces seem to be never ending with something else to see around the corner. There may be works you do not like or understand but most people will find items they want to examine more closely. One thing is for certain - visiting Mona was an interesting experience.

Since visiting MONA I have read the book, The making of MONA by Adrian Franklin, which explains how and why MONA was created.