Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition

Overview

Do you remember the first time that you saw a pastel-hued facade, ornate interior detailing, or something gloriously symmetrical indoors or out, then thought "that looks like something out of a Wes Anderson film"? For almost three decades now, we've all done it. Since his feature debut Bottle Rocket, the Asteroid City and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar director has firmly established his stylistic trademarks, ensuring that a Wes Anderson movie is always immediately recognisable as a Wes Anderson movie no matter which of the filmmaker's regular actors is in front of the camera.

Brooklyn-based husband and wife Wally and Amanda Koval shared this line of thinking to the point of creating an Instagram account around it in 2017. Accidentally Wes Anderson now has 1.9-million followers. The social media feed is a curated selection of images from real life that look like Anderson has staged, styled and shot them, but hasn't — and after taking films as inspiration for an online compilation of images, Accidentally Wes Anderson has taken the IRL route itself via an exhibition.

At Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition, 200-plus images await — and they're all coming to Australia for the first time. Following past runs in Tokyo and Seoul, and present seasons in London and Los Angeles, the immersive art experience will make its Down Under debut in Melbourne from Wednesday, September 18, 2024, complete with ten rooms.

Some of the exhibition's walls feature facades that Anderson must covet, others find landscape that'd make the perfect Anderson backdrop, and plenty highlight either vintage vehicles or enchanting hotels. Yes, pastel tones pop up frequently. So does symmetry, including in the exhibition's presentation. The idea is to make you feel like you're stepping into Anderson's flicks by showing how the world beyond his frames often conjures up that sensation anyway.

To borrow from a different filmmaker, is this the Wes Anderson version of Inception? Attendees enter an exhibition of real-life pictures inspired by an Instagram account that's inspired by Anderson's moving pictures, particularly his aesthetic within them that takes cues from real life. Accidentally Wes Anderson has also been turned into a book, too, plus a website with a map spanning almost 2000 spots across the planet that fit the theme.

At Accidentally Wes Anderson: The Exhibition, patrons arrive via the lobby, then explore a space dedicated to portals, then embrace an array of facades. Checking out sections devoted to coastal scenes, planes and trains (and automobiles, of course), sports, accommodation and nature is also on the agenda. There's a space that'll get you watching big-screen travel adventures, too — and, just for Australia, one about Aussie spots that evoke Anderson. For souvenirs, you'll exit through the Accidentally Wes Anderson shop.