Mirka Mora: Pas de Deux – Drawings and Dolls

Overview

Get a rare glimpse into artist Mirka Mora's private universe at Mirka Mora: Pas de Deux – Drawings and Dolls. Showing at the Heide Museum of Modern Art until March 4, this show brings you never-before-exhibited works from Mora's home and studio.

Among them are many of her bright soft sculpture dolls. You'll find them draped across tables, displayed upright and suspended from the ceiling. On close examination, they reveal an imaginary world, peopled by sea creatures, fantastical animals and fairy tale characters. Mora has said that her dolls are "drawings in three-dimensions".

Also on show is a publication that carries you into the extraordinary life of French-born Mora and her German-born husband, Georges. After meeting in 1946, the two moved to Melbourne in 1915, where their apartment at 9 Collins Street became a magnet for artists, writers, musicians, actors and Bohemians. Together, they founded the Tolarno Galleries, as well as three popular cafes: the Mirka at 183 Exhibition Street, Cafe Balzac in East Melbourne and Tolarno in St Kilda.