A Day Off for Books, Coffee & Hidden Histories | NGV Art Book Fair & RONE’s Workroom
On a crisp weekday, I decided to take the day off work to do a few things I’d been looking forward to. Every year, the National Gallery of Victoria hosts its Art Book Fair, a three-day event that brings together local and international art book publishers, independent artists, and designers to share their work. I’ve attended every year for the past few years, and without fail, I end up leaving with a unique book I didn’t expect to find.
This year’s highlights? A lot of titles centred around anime, illustration, and Japanese culture that’s right in line with my current obsession with all things Japan and anime. I left with a particularly hefty Studio Ghibli book that I can't wait to dig into.
To rest my arms (and soul), I made my way to my favourite café, Dukes Coffee Roasters. It’s one of the few places where the coffee actually tastes like coffee. I love everything about it: the compact space, the warm wooden interiors, the lovely blue tile accents, and the always-friendly baristas. It’s my kind of quiet Melbourne ritual.
Later, I wandered over to Flinders Lane to check out *The Workroom*, an installation by RONE. It’s a free display and part of his larger, sold-out exhibition *TIME*, which was held at Flinders Street Station and even extended into the station’s hidden ballroom (yes, there’s a ballroom!). Ever since seeing that show, I haven’t quite experienced anything else like it. When I heard that one of the rooms was being recreated and open to the public, I had to go.
The Workroom pays tribute to Flinders Lane’s historic garment industry, which was a booming hub from the Second World War through to the 1960s, and was particularly tied to the Jewish community who migrated from Poland and Russia. There’s a great article about that history here: [Australian Jewish Historical Society Archive](https://collections.ajhs.com.au/Detai.... There’s something magical about stumbling across the hidden histories behind the places we walk by every day. I’d love to see more public art like this that honour the past while letting us experience it in the present.