The National Gallery of Victoria has revealed the food and beverage line-up for the much anticipated NGV Gala, an annual black-tie event celebrating art, music, fine food and wine to be held on 1 December 2018. The NGV Gala will feature an exquisite food menu by internationally acclaimed Australian chef and restauranteur Andrew McConnell, The Bombay Sapphire Gin Garden and cocktails by The Bar at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. The National Gallery of Victoria has also announced that multi award-winning Australian
musician Troye Sivan will perform at the highly anticipated event.
The NGV Gala will coincide with the opening of the world-premiere exhibition, Escher X nendo I Between Two Worlds, which presents the work of Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher in a never-before-seen exhibition environment designed by Japanese firm, nendo. Celebrated as a master of optical illusions, Escher’s unique artistic vision has inspired the creative direction of the Gala and will be evident in the direction of the food and cocktails served throughout the evening.
Food by Andrew McConnell
Cutler & Co. Chef Andrew McConnell preparing dishes at Cutler & Co. for the 2018 NGV Gala. Picture: Eugene Hyland
Award-winning Melbourne chef Andrew McConnell is catering the NGV Gala, creating a bespoke menu that draws upon the tastes and flavours of Victoria. The menu aims to highlight the connection between the artists, the exhibition, and the Gala, with a range of sophisticated offerings that focus on celebrating local ingredients. Andrew McConnell said, ‘The challenge is to design a menu that will exist for one night only and somehow connect to the artists, to the space, to the purpose of the event itself. The food will be served in a dynamic, active environment and there are various different styles of experience throughout the evening, so it’s important that there is a synergistic link in all the moving parts. ‘The menu will highlight the flavours of Victoria, and with respect to both artists and of course the venue itself, the focus will be the purity of flavour. The dishes will be simple yet sophisticated in execution and
presentation,’ McConnell said.
Cocktails by The Bar at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
In a world-first offsite collaboration by Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, The Bar team will design and present an exclusive selection of tailored cocktails for the NGV Gala. Combining their unique distilling methods and Bombay Sapphire’s finest gins, The Bar at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will create three cocktails that draw inspiration from the optical illusions iconic to the practice of M.C. Escher and nendo and feature Heston’s renowned visual theatricals. Resemblant of Dinner’s superb 1950s-style cocktail bar, all elements of the NGV Gala pop-up will be customised, including the bar design and fit-out, along with glassware, bartenders and of course, the
cocktails.
The Bombay Sapphire Gin Garden
Drawing inspiration from the iconic optical illusions and playful perspectives depicted in artworks by M.C Escher and nendo studio, Bombay Sapphire is taking over the NGV’s Garden Restaurant, transforming it into The Bombay Sapphire Gin Garden for the NGV Gala. In an immersive display reminiscent of an outdoor greenhouse and full of live greenery, wall installations featuring fresh garnishes and floating plants nestled amongst mirrored walls, The Bombay Sapphire Gin Garden invites guests to enjoy a gin and tonic amongst the calming greenery. Refreshing cocktails combining summer fruits, including raspberries, lemons and oranges, with fresh herbs from the NGV Garden and Bombay’s crisp gin will be served all night long in The Gin Garden. About Escher x nendo I Between Two Worlds Exclusive to Melbourne, Escher X nendo I Between Two Worlds is the first major Australian exhibition to
feature the extraordinary work of Dutch artist M.C. Escher in dialogue with the work of acclaimed Japanese design studio nendo. Celebrated as a master of optical illusion, Escher created some of the most iconic images of the twentieth century. Drawn from the world’s largest collection of Escher’s work in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, this expansive exhibition covers the full span of the artist’s career, from 1916 through to his final work produced in 1969.
Tickets to the NGV Gala are on sale now from NGV.MELBOURNE
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