Melbourne Is Now Home to a Colourful Mini Parthenon Replica Called 'Temple of Boom'

At the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, the St Kilda Road venue's indoor spaces are gearing up to host an array of breathtaking garments as part of its soon-to-launch blockbuster Alexander McQueen exhibition. But its grounds have already scored a fresh injection of colour for the summer, and that's thanks to the winning NGV 2022 Architecture Commission, Temple of Boom, which has now made its home in the site's Grollo Equiset Garden.

The boldly coloured replica of Greece's famed Parthenon is parking itself in the Melbourne spot until August 2023, and is set to be continually refreshed with large-scale works by various local artists during its stay.

The structure itself is the work of Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang, celebrating The Parthenon as a symbol of Western civilisation, democracy and enduring beauty — and built to reflect on the impact time has on architecture.

The latter is what'll also drive Temple of Boom's ever-shifting look, the first of which features vibrant optical illusions and floral elements by contemporary artists Manda Lane, Drez and David Lee Pereira. Lane's work centres around relationships between the man-made and the natural; Pereira is known for his explorations of gender and identity fluidity; and Drez's murals challenge perspective using colour and form.

While the structure will be transformed with different artworks across three phases of its stay, it'll also work as a community meeting spot and play host to an extended program of events. That includes a calendar of talks, performances and VR experiences held in collaboration with the Hellenic Museum Melbourne; and a lineup of Friday evening DJ sets as announced for the new NGV Friday Nights summer season.

Catch 'Temple of Boom' in the Grollo Equiset Garden, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, until August 2023.

Images: Installation view of the 2022 NGV Architecture Commission 'Temple of Boom', designed by Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang, at NGV International from 22 November 2022–August 2023. Photo by Sean Fennessy.