HOT: UK Overgrown, Panelpop, 117 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

I'm a little disappointed that I won't be in Melbourne this weekend, as otherwise I'd be completely immersed in State of Design, Victoria's design festival.

Fortunately, some of the events are open during the course of ten day festival. So today I decided to visit the venue closest to me, Panelpop, which is displaying a series of photographs entitled 'UK Overgrown'.

This small exhibition displays a handful of photographs by Collingwood-based photographer Adrian Lander, taken while he was visiting London, Sussex and Wales. The works explore our desire to tame the natural environment around us, but if we're not vigilant, Mother Nature will laugh delightedly and quickly reclaim it. The atmosphere of the pictures ranged from creepy to comical, with my favourite works being a pair of photographs of 'plants gone nuts' - a hedge looking like it was about to attack a suburban garage and a vine creeping up a lamp post like strangler fig, pointedly juxtaposed against a background of uninspired cement buildings and other man-made objects. The other work I loved was a photograph of another lamp post, but this time it looked like the electrical wires were radiating from an organic core.

While I was giggling at the cheeky plants, Tony the owner of Panelpop told me to touch the paintings. Wow! I could feel the ridges of the panelled fibreglass house and the coarseness of a hedgerows under my fingertips. Panelpop specialise in what they call a 'new art medium'. They claim recycled wood from people who would normally throw it in the tip and reuse polystyrene from the Queen Victoria Market stallholders to reinforce the back of the frames. The framed surface is given a coating made from gypsum based cement and industrial by-product which means that the works are scratch and weather resistant and don't require glass protection.

If I had a spare $980 then I'd be buying one of Adrian Lander's prints and hanging it on my balcony next to my vege pots. As such, I might have to be content with uploading one of my own photos to Panelpop.

HOT: Gertude Walkabout, Gertrude Street Projection Festival, Gertrude St, Fitzroy

Like High Street Northcote, Gertrude Street is a creative hub which runs an arts festival in partnership with residents of the street. The annual Gertrude St Projection Festival exhibits projection art onto shops, restaurants and pubs and this year artists had to interpret the theme of 'dream'.

On a wintery Thursday night some of my book club members and I joined Gertrude Walkabout, a walking tour from Smith St to Nicholson St conducted by the Gertrude St Association. The talk was particularly informative because en route we ran into some of the artists, who were able to discuss the inspiration and techniques behind their work.
I was entranced by the work of the feature artist Yandell Watson, particularly Night Walkers. If you weren't looking at it closely you would just think that it was the tree casting the shadow on the wall, but then things didn't seem to quite match up....within the shadow leaves would float away, borne by an invisible wind, rain would drizzle when it was dry, a person's shadow would walk by but there was no one around and then snarly night monsters started emerging and creeping up the wall. Her other work was a projection of posters for a girl band, then kind that you'll see pasted everywhere in Fitzroy. But again, out of the corner of your eye you'd catch one of the members blinking at you, or wave. Or was it merely your imagination?

When you glanced down the street the most eye-catching works were the colourful large-scale projections on pubs, one on the Gertrude Hotel of Ian de Gruchy's drawings and another playing with the colours and contours of the Builders Arms (Kit Webster).

Some of the smaller works are worth mentioning too. The round window at Bar Radio was perfect for displaying projections and when we arrived the barman/artist came out to tell us about his video of speeding balloons. Basically, he noticed a hot air balloon race from his friend's apartment window, so he set up his camera and went back to sleep. So it literally was a work devised from dreams!One of my favourites was at craft store Cottage Industry, where the mysterious and shadowy installation consisted of tree branches and small projection screens. However, on closer examination, all the tree branches had been wrapped in crochet (by Pene Durston, the owner of the shop)! To be honest, I was more mesmerised by the detail and time it would have taken to crochet these branches (and the tree outside the shop), rather than the projection of cutesy animals being killed.

Some of the works really enhanced the vibe of Gertrude Street and it's a shame that they were removed after only a week. Now, I wonder where I can get hold of a set of tree doilies?

NOT: John Brack, NGV Australia, Federation Square, Melbourne

I'm afraid that I will be made a pariah but I cannot tell a lie; I really disliked NGV Australia's John Brack exhibition.

I'm Australian, I live in Melbourne and I like to think that I know something about art appreciation. He's apparently one of Australia's foremost artists - I'm supposed to like his work. But I was completely unmoved by his brown, flat and stiff style and I whipped through the extensive retrospective in 3o minutes. The paintings didn't particularly speak to me of facades or of a stoic, everyday life and despite quizzing RM at great length I couldn't work out what it was about his work that made it quintessentially Australian. For me, the army of identical office workers in the famous painting Collins St 5pm could have been Fleet Street 5pm or Wall Street 5pm, bar the Bank of New South Wales sign in the background. His other famous work is the companion painting, The Bar, which is an ironic reference to Manet's gorgeous Bar at the Folies-Bergere. Ironic reference or not, I remember being absolutely gobsmacked by the glowing beauty and detailed skill of the original when I saw it at the Courtauld Institute, which is in stark contrast to my bored reaction to The Bar.

And in his later period he turned to pencils???

I'd be really grateful if anyone can explain his appeal to me. And if he wasn't Australian, would his work still be considered just as good by Australian audiences?

HOT: NGV Members Lounge, NGV Australia, Federation Square, Melbourne

Benefits of unemployment #15: the opportunity to go meander through an art gallery when the crowds are at work.

Or if you're an NGV Member, skip the gallery all together and head straight for the Members Lounge. My new membership has practically saved me money as I've imbibed numerous mugs of complimentary peppermint tea (saved $3), chewed on a stale biscuit (saved $1), read the day's Age, Herald Sun, Australian and Financial Review (saved $6.80) and the leisurely flicked through a pristine copy of the latest issue of Vogue (saved $7.95). All this in calm surroundings overlooking the bustle of the Federation Square atrium. I regularly go and hide in the Members Lounge of NGV International too - I'm the one in the corner hogging all the fashion mags.

NOT: Exhibition 12, C3 Contemporary Arts Space, Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford

C3 Contemporary Arts Space is a non-profit exhibition space located in the basement of peaceful Abbotsford Convent, now converted into an arts, culture and education precinct.

The three rooms house rotating temporary exhibits, and its latest show is simply called 'Exhibit 12' so there doesn't appear to be any unifying theme.

The postcard looked so promising but I really disliked this exhibition. If I say any more I may be in danger of being strung up for defamation, yet I don't want to compromise my reviewing integrity by giving false praise for glad wrap snakes and plastic milk crates. I think my meaning is pretty clear anyway.

HOT: Collection Tour, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Rd, Southbank

I had originally planned to attend a Henry Purcell lecture at NGV International, but when it was cancelled at the last minute I decided to take a collection tour instead. I've never actually explored the permanent exhibition spaces of the NGV and the free tours are a good way to get a taste of what's on offer.

First stop was the huge stained glass ceiling by Leonard French. I had always assumed that the patterns were abstract, but my guide pointed out that the design actually contained symbols representing different belief systems such as the Celtic cross, doves of peace, a turtle and a snake or rainbow serpent.

I'd also never realised that the emanciated figures lining up behind the water wall were made by Antony Gormley, one of my favourite sculptors.

In an hour we covered many different eras and styles of art. We cantered through medieval paintings and religious triptych, two Rembrandts from his early and late periods, Van Dyck's aristocratic portraits, Flemish landscapes, Dutch portraiture, counter-reformation Carravagesque paintings and the famous Tiepolo painting of The Banquet of Cleopatra.

Once outside in the sculpture garden I was immediately captivated by the stunning bamboo sculpture by Tetsunori Kawana, a master of ikebana. It is a shame that Five Elements - Water is only on display until 26 July (and then probably mulched!). It's a dramatic and beautiful work which captures the awesome power and rhythm of crashing surf, even down to the sprays of foam. The sculpture was particularly remarkable given that the flowing waves have been constructed using thick and relatively inflexible sticks of bamboo.

The sculpture garden also contained a seated woman by Henry Moore, another one of my favourite sculptors and a bronze cast of Rodin's haughty and windswept Balzac.

I've barely scratched the surface of the the surprisingly broad collection, so it's my aim to return to the NGV to take as many tours as I can while I have the time.

HOT: Northern Exposure, High St, Northcote

Anita and I met on a windy, chilly Sunday afternoon for a stroll around Northern Exposure, Northcote's visual arts festival. The exhibitions included traditional hangings in galleries such as Kick and the grand dame Northcote Town Hall, combined with displays in High Street shopfronts.

I have to admit that I wasn't too excited by much of the art on display but I did think the delicate wrought iron hanging in the bay window of Palomino (Freya Pitt) was particularly eyecatching. Mostly though, the festival gets a HOT from me because I want to applaud the business and creative community of High St Northcote for their ability to work together to organise festivals for my enjoyment!

NOT: 2009 Duldig Lecture on Sculpture: Soft Sculpture, Clemenger BBDO Auditorium, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Southbank

The Duldig lecture on sculpture is an annual talk jointly held by the NGV and Duldig Studio - the Glen Iris residence, sculpture garden and studio of the renowned sculptor Karl Duldig.

This year's lecture was given by Elliott H King, an American art historian specialising in Dalí and Surrealism, and entitled Soft Sculptures. I have to admit that a lot of his talk went over my head and it seemed several members of the audience felt the same, as they slipped out or snoozed next to me. I could only catch a few glimmers of understanding during the hour - something about Camembert, the form of melted vs melting clocks, the theory of relativity and a precursor to the discovery of DNA. Let's hope the exhibition itself is more enlightening.

HOT: Art Chat with Murray Walker, NGV Australia, Federation Square, Melbourne

An art gallery (granted, the major gallery) in a city of only 3 million people can afford to open late one night a week, and people will actually turn up. These facts make me appreciate living in Melbourne, a city with what I believe is a disproportionally high level of interest and creativity activity in the arts.

Late Night Thursdays @ NGV Australia is currently offering a series of talks and performances relating to the John Brack exhibition. For the talk I attended, the personable artist Murray Walker chatted of his time teaching with John Brack at the National Gallery School. He said that Brack was generous of his time and pocket, sometimes paying students' fees without their knowledge as there was no scholarship to the school. His affection for Brack was also evident when he reminisced about chatting and eating in the Yugoslav steak houses and Italian restaurants around Melbourne, and drinking whisky in Brack's library while discussing detective stories and poetry. He said that Brack could have been many things, as he was a learned fellow, a leader of men yet modest and slightly embarrassed about his success. About the art, Walker said that one of his favourite works was Collins St 5pm as it reminded him of a procession of pilgrims as depicted in Northern Gothic art.

On a side note, I wish there was another space where they could hold these sessions, as the talk was frequently disrupted by chattering visitors crossing in front of the stage to reach the exhibition entrance.

HOT: KK Exports: 12 Years of Posters & Other Communication, Guildford Lane Gallery, Guildford Lane, Melbourne

Having lived in Melbourne for several years, I thought I was pretty knowledgeable about what was hidden in its mysterious laneways. Not so - I only found out about Guildford Lane today, and discovered that it is the resident of a fabulous (but freezing) warehouse-style art space called the Guildford Lane Gallery.

The gallery is currently hosting a poster exhibition from the famous Amsterdam-based media agency, KesselsKramer. Kesselskramer is probably most famous for its colour saturated and ironic campaigns for Diesel clothing, and most infamous for the disarming honesty and punk aesthetic of their ads for the worst hotel in the world, the Hans Brinker Budget Hotel. One of the partners, Johan Kramer, also conceived and organised a soccer match between the two lowest-ranked countries, Montserrat and Bhutan, on the same day as the World Cup final in Japan, and produced a charming documentary called The Other Final.

The posters in this exhibition all demonstrate a irreverant and mischevious spirit, often with people with slightly stupefied expressions doing something silly. It's only on for a short time, so you should get in quick to spend a couple of very enjoyable hours laughing out loud at Kesselskramer's shocking cleverness.

HOT: Dressed to Rule, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Rd, Southbank

The second half of my very informative (and one-on-one) fashion-focused tour with the NGV guide was to the Dressed to Rule exhibition.

I never knew that the NGV had such a well-preserved collection of Chinese imperial robes, and this exhibition includes robes worn by members of the imperial court and even the Emperor, as well as various accessories such as queasy little shoes for bound feet.

Each of the robes is laden with magnificient, jewel-coloured embroidery, with each design containing some special meaning. You can be overwhelmed with all the symbolic commentary on the display plaques, so I think a guide, who can point out the various features on the garments as they talk, is a better way of absorbing their beauty. My favourite robes were the summer robes featuring embroidery on delicate gauze, as the filmy material revealed a further embroidered robe in a contrasting colour underneath.

HOT: Persuasion, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Rd, Southbank

I’m a keen devotee of BBC costume dramas and I’ve just finished a marathon screening of the delightful Lost in Austen - so I was pretty sure that Persuasion: Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen would be right up my alley.

The free exhibition is a small and well-curated examination of the fashion cycles that dominated during Austen’s life. The focus is mainly on women’s fashions, with its vagaries of waistlines up, waistlines down, military styling here, slashed sleeves there. There are a few instances of men’s fashions on display, including the tour de force – Colin Firth’s tight wool jacket, breeches, leather boots and top hat for his role as Mr Darcy in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Yes swooning ladies, the one where he comes striding out of the duck pond, wet shirt and britches clinging to his manly muscular physique.

What impressed me most about the exhibition was the clothes’ extremely well-preserved condition. The fine Indian muslins were still snowy white, the burnished satin pelisse still held a polished sheen and the delicate handiwork in some of the embroidery looked freshly pressed and ready to be worn.