No Standing: Only Dancing

Last week I spent an evening doing what I love most; eating, drinking and perusing fine art. My friends, Meg & Maree, met me at Chocolate Buddha to enjoy a small feast of pork dumplings, seaweed salad, marinated tofu & tempura vegetables. All washed down with a glass of Yarraloch Rose. Of course.

Now, I have spent a lot of time at Federation Square and I can confidently declare - Chocolate Buddha is the best place to eat in that pocket of the city. Do yourself a favour [isn't it funny when people say that you?]: leave the car at home, catch a train to Flinders St Station, call together a big gang of friends and meet there for a Friday Night Delight of contemporary Japanese cuisine & a monster range of sake. Huddle around the communal tables inside in the cooler months or spread yourselves outside on the wooden benches over Spring & Summer. I have never been disappointed after time spent at Chocolate Buddha. Its ethical eating too; check out the link above for more information.

Fed Square is not only a mecca for cool bars and eateries, it is also home to the Ian Potter Centre of the NGV Australia. This part of the NGV as the name suggests, holds Australian only exhibitions, and get this - the exhibitions are mostly free. A big yay for free access to the arts!

So after Chocolate Buddha we wandered over to the centre to check out the Rennie Ellis exhibition 'No Standing: Only Dancing'.

Should you not already know the name, here is a short introduction to Rennie Ellis taken from the NGV website:

Photographer Rennie Ellis was renowned for his candid documentary images of contemporary Australian life. He was best known for his photographs of social events, such as music festivals, fashion parades or nightclubs. But his oeuvre also encompassed the grittier side of life. During his career he photographed life on the streets, sometimes showing the darker aspects of society such as his Kings Cross series. Ultimately, Ellis’ vision of the world was celebratory; his photographs in this exhibition document the richness and diversity of contemporary life from the 1970s and 1980s.

I'm loathed to say it twice but, do yourself a favour...

C x