A day at the NGV International with Hokusai.
This is an exhibition to see if you love the drawn line (carved or inked). Linear play with perspective, strong sweeps of line and shape, rules broken with cool colours to the front and warm colours to the background, all makes for a wonderful experience.
The amount of work shown is overpowering. Just too much to absorb in one viewing.
The floral insipid colouring of the carpet placed in the atrium entry clashes with the austerity of the surrounds. Maybe that’s the idea. It reminded me of the Rudolf Stingel 2010 carpet installation in the New Berlin Museum, referencing a 19th Century Indian Agra rug capped off by a crystal chandelier. Mies van der Rohes interior was transformed into a cheap looking “departure lounge”.