Degraves Street Underpass to Relaunch Public Art Program

The next time you’re waiting for a train at Flinders Street Station, pay a quick visit to Campbell Arcade. As of this time next week, the historic pedestrian underpass and subterranean shopping mall is getting an injection of exciting new and unconventional artwork, with the City of Melbourne reactivating twelve glass cabinets as a public exhibition space for local creatives.

Set into the walls of the underground arcade that connects the railway station with Degraves Street, the cabinets previously housed month-long exhibits curated by Platform Arts Group. The revamp is part of the City of Melbourne’s Creative Spaces Program, and will see the display cases rechristened 'The Dirty Dozen', in what’s been described as ‘a wry nod’ to the arcade’s less than spotless decor.

In addition to the name change, the handover will see the space become more accessible to artists. Under Platform Arts, anyone wanting to display work in the cases had to pay for the privilege, whereas they will now be available free of charge. Applications will open on the Creative Spaces website from June 25.

The new curators have also indicated an interest in non-traditional artwork, as exemplified by the debut installation from Victoria University’s Skunk Control — an art collective consisting of creatively-inclined scientists and engineers.

Each exhibition will run for approximately eight weeks, although December is being reserved for a special holiday-themed installation that will offer an alternative to the Myer Xmas Window display on Bourke Street.

Want to apply to exhibit work in one of The Dirty Dozen? Head to the Creative Spaces website, applications open June 25.