Our Ultimate Guide to Melbourne Design Week 2023.

The NGV-curated Melbourne Design Week returns for its seventh edition from 18th to 28th May 2023, cementing its reputation as the country’s largest annual international design event and the best place to get your fix of great Australian Design from both emerging and established practitioners. Just in case you need further proof, catch our reviews of the recent editions here, here and here.

Building on the ideas unveiled during previous years, the 2023 edition will continue to explore the theme of ‘Design The World You Want’ with three new pillars introduced—Transparency, Currency, and Legacy. An extensive satellite program of over 250 exhibitions and group shows, alongside talks, films, tours, and workshops will take place across Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Thoughtful shows by leading galleries and design curators highlight a diverse pool of Australian talent, and brands and showrooms return with a showcase of local and international designers. Cult Design presents the exhibition of circular design in partnership with Mater, and Fred International unveils The Artist Residence in Collingwood’s historic precinct Foy and Gibson. Curated by NGV and delivered in collaboration with the Melbourne Art Foundation, Melbourne Design Fair makes a comeback, offering the best collectible contemporary design from over 150 Australian designers and makers, with works available to view and purchase. Leading commercial galleries, studios, design organisations and agencies, alongside an NGV-curated exhibition FOCUS, will bring attention to the work of five accomplished Australian female designers and makers.

At NGV International, the Melbourne Art Book Fair will showcase some of the world’s best art publications at the Stallholder Fair. At The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne Now continues highlighting the extraordinary work of more than 200 Victorian-based designers and artists.

Catch Melbourne Design Week Business Forum’s Design Wall Stories on 23rd May, a panel discussion about how Melbourne-based designers, brands, and manufacturers featured in the Design Wall at Melbourne Now are contributing to the dynamic landscape of applied creativity in Melbourne. Over at Euroluce, join industry leaders from ARUP, Woods Bagot, Woven Image, Living Edge and Euroluce as they host a ‘speed panel’ on creating more sustainable outcomes through collaboration.

Phew, we’re exhausted already, and we haven’t even started to get into it. On that note, if you’re looking for the ultimate guide to the Australian design event of the year, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve done the heavy lifting to bring you some 25 not-to-be-missed shows at Melbourne Design Week 2023. Hit the streets, and support our amazing local design community—we’ll see you there!

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Highlights from Melbourne Design Week 2022.

With a sense of possibility in the air, bolstered by an overwhelming sense of community, designers, artists, makers and commercial partners gave it their all in the city that has cemented itself as the design capital of the country, and a Mecca for those of us looking for our fix.

COVE by Tom Fereday and Versa. Image: Sean Fennessey.

Mano by Tom Fereday for Verso. Image: Sevak Babakhani.

Versa by Tom Fereday and Charlie White. Image: Courtesy of the artist.

In Process by Charlie White for Versa. Image Courtesy of the artist.

Spear by Charlie White for Versa. Image: Courtesy of the artist.

Versa

Presented by Tom Fereday & Charlie White

Developed through a process of independent collaboration, Tom Fereday and Charlie White have sought to create a series of works that explore the turning of end-of-life materials and the challenging of their perceived value. Versa, meaning to be ‘turned’ or ‘changed’ in Latin, is a collaborative series of installations, showcasing a collection of unique furniture and architectural elements tailored to the three spaces of the Meat Market Stables. With a self-imposed constraint to make only one design gesture each per room, works have been conceived as the transformation of a material into an interior element – seat, table, light, roof, wall & floor – and then designed to express a sensory quality – dark, light, soft, warm, sharp and hard. The exhibition runs from the 18-21 May. For more information click here.

Meat Market Stables, 2 Wreckyn St, North Melbourne

Design House presented by OIGÅLL PROJECTS. Image: Annika Kafcaloudis

Design House

Presented by OIGÅLL PROJECTS

This group show of 10 Australian-based designers will have new works contextualised within the recently completed restoration of OIGÅLL PROJECTS UPSTAIRS. This domestic setting offers an opportunity to celebrate conceptual design in context — functional art, performing its function. Participating designers include Volker Haug, denHolm, Brud Studia, MMDO, Olivia Bossy and more. The exhibition runs from 25-28 May. For more information click here.

OIGÅLL PROJECTS; UPSTAIRS, Oigall Projects, Gertrude Street, Fitzroy

The Silo Project presented by Josee Vesely-Manning. Image: Annika Kafcaloudis. Designers pictured: Pascale Gomes McNabb, Marta Figueiredo, Danielle Brustman and Bolaji Teniola.

The Silo Project presented by Josee Vesely-Manning. Image: Josee Vesely-Manning

The Silo Project

Presented by Josee Vesely-Manning

This group exhibition, housed in six former grain silos in inner city Melbourne, responds to the unique site and forms an architectural intervention to a now obsolete industrial monolith. Implications of material obsolescence and industrial labour, urban “renewal” and gentrification and our collective response to the built environment are all suggested. All of the works are informed and specific to the historic site while presenting new and experimental design strategies and future propositions.

Contributors include Ancher Architecture Office, Ashisha Cunningham, Bel Williams, Billie Civello, Billy Horn, Bolaji Teniola, Brody Xarhakos, Caeylen Fenelon-Norris, Corey Thomas, Darcy Jones, Danielle Brustman, Edward Linacre, Elliot Bastianon, FOMU Design, Josee Vesely-Manning, Kiki Ando, Marlo Lyda, Marta Figueiredo, Meagan Streader, Mikhail Savin Rodrick, Naomi Clayton, Pascale Gomes- McNabb, Simon Ancher and Volker Haug. The exhibition runs from 19 – 23 May. For more information click here.

Access via Barrow Place, 45 Gibdon St, Burnley

Monolithic presented by Craft Victoria. Image: Courtesy Two Lines Studio

Monolithic

Presented by Craft Victoria

The work of Geelong-based Two Lines Studio in the solo exhibition is an immersive installation featuring modular furniture pieces alongside sculptural objects. Each piece is carefully crafted out of a passion and appreciation for skilled craftpersonship and influenced by contemporary architectural design. The exhibition runs from 18–27 May. For more information click here.

Craft Victoria, Watson Place, Melbourne

(NO THINGS) MATTERS presented by Marlo Lyda. Image: Courtesy Marlo Lyda.

Textural Shots by Jordan Fleming and Cordon Salon.

Textural Shots by Jordan Fleming and Dnj Paper.

(NO THINGS) MATTERS

Presented by Marlo Lyda at the Futures Collective

Prompted by the question ‘What MATTERS to you?’, a notable collection of Australian and international designer-makers have been invited to explore ‘process’ as the key instigator for new design possibilities. Each practitioner’s concept is gradually developed, and the results are presented in 3 exhibitions, spaced over 3 years: (NO THINGS), (SOME THINGS), and (ALL THINGS) MATTERS.

Held at Villa Alba as part of Futures Collective’s contemporary design exhibit the project will run alongside co-participants Innate Collection, YSG x TAPPETI, Eco Outdoor, and Scott Livesey Galleries with the first instalment of MATTERS taking over the ground floor. The exhibition runs from 18 – 24 May. For more information click here.

Villa Alba Museum, 44 Walmer St, Kew

Foreign Dialogues presented by Fin Gallery. Pictured: Joana Schneider’s textile work. 

Alicja Strzyzynska’s Living Forms Collection at Fin Gallery.

Jiri Krejcirik’s Nouveau Collection. Image: Taja Spasskova.

Lollipop Vase by Anna Jozova, 2022.

Georgia Weitenberg’s Bent Wood Chair. Image: by Zoe Lonergan.

Foreign Dialogues

FIN Gallery

Held at FIN gallery’s new location at 437 High Street Prahran, Foreign Dialogues is an exhibition exploring interdisciplinary practices that challenge the idea of design’s perceived currency, or value today. FIN is a new iteration of Melbourne’s well-respected Finkelstein Gallery. The exhibition marks a new direction with a global outlook, showing the work of both artists and collectable design practitioners. The exhibition runs from 24 – 28 May. For more information click here.

FIN Gallery, 437 High Street, Prahran

Gaetano Pesce’s ‘Fish in Australia’ exhibition. Presented by Neon Parc.

Portrait Lamp by Gaetano Pesce.

Vase by Gaetano Pesce.

Gaetano Pesce ‘Fish in Australia’ at Melbourne Design Fair

Presented by Neon Parc

This two-part exhibition with renowned architect, artist and designer Gaetano Pesce (b. Italy, 1939), is to be premiered at Neon Parc City, between 4–27 May and at the Melbourne Design Fair, 18–21 May.

Pesce emerged from the Italian Radical Design movement of the 1960s—the Florence-based group produced era-defining furnishings and products that looked to youth culture and the personality-driven ethos of the art world at the time. For more information click here.

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Charlie White, Vincula Floor Lamp 2021, polyurethane foam, concrete, galvanised steel chain, aluminium, light globe, plastic, electrical cord 173.0 x 46.0 x 40.0 cm Image: Charlie White

Two Lines Studio, Kirby Bourke Curve Collection Chair 1, 2022, patinated brass, 600.0 x 600.0 x 750.0 mm. Image: Courtesy Two Lines Studio.

Livio Lucca Tobler, Bergün 2022, salvaged native hardwoods.

Alfred Lowe, 2022, stoneware with sgraffito, 320.0 x 180.0 x 160.0 mm, Image: Courtesy of Agency and Alfred Lowe.

TLLh Studio Foli Table, 2022. Image: Courtesy LLh Studio.

Discovery

Curated by NGV at Melbourne Design Fair

At Melbourne Design Fair the NGV-curated section, titled DISCOVERY, is dedicated to the promotion and sale of work by emerging designers and makers. The show offers collectors, industry and the design-loving public the opportunity to discover and purchase work from a new wave of designers including Alfred Lowe, Annie Paxton, Charlie White, Dalton Stewart, Isaac Chatterton, Julian Leigh May, LLh Studio, Nicole Lawrence, Sabu Studio, Sedni, Two Lines Studio, UnitePlayPerform, and the next generation of talent from the Yarrenyty Arltere Artists. The fair runs from 18 – 21 May. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Villages Presented by Stephanie Stamatis and Sarah Nedovic-Gaunt.

Ceramicist Sarah Nedovic-Gaunt at work.

The Monument Series by Sarah Nedovic-Gaunt.

Villages

Presented by Stephanie Stamatis and Sarah Nedovic-Gaunt

Join ceramic artist Sarah Nedovic and art director Stephanie Stamatis as they explore the geological and anthropological ties connecting us to the village. The exhibition explores two essential, interrelated components: nostalgic memories from the land and conversations at the long table. Stamatis has also collaborated with Nedovic and the team to create usable artefacts for meals at the long table. Opening night will be held on 19 May with a following dinner on May 25. For tickets and more information click here.

At The Above, Gertrude Street, Fitzroy VIC, Australia

Design by Locki Humphrey, as part of HARD curated by Calum Hurley. Images supplied by the artist.

HARD

Presented by Calum Hurley

Showcasing Queer creatives from around Australia, HARD presents an array of new works representing the breadth of creativity within our community. Now in its second year, HARD invites exhibitions to utilise their surroundings by integrating found elements into a new work representative of their current practice. HARD celebrates Queer sexuality in tandem with the Australian ritual of sneaking out after dark to scour the streets for hard, hard rubbish. The unspoken acceptance of these secret, kerbside movements correlates with the Queer upbringing in Australia and the search to find one’s place in the system. The exhibition runs from 18 – 21 May. For more information click here.

Wood Street Gallery by Christopher Boots, 8 Wood St, Fitzroy

Lens Luminaire by Object Density presented in WORKSHOP 01 presented by Misc Objet and New Assemblage. Image: Dick Rennings.

Melancholy by SATURDAY YARD WORK by Nathan Martin presented in WORKSHOP 01 by Misc Objet and New Assemblage. Image: Nick Hollman.

WORKSHOP 01

Presented by New Assemblage x Misc Objet

Showcasing new work by eleven emerging designers with wildly diverse outlooks, under the curatorial direction of Julian Leigh May, Tess Pirrie, and Ella Saddington; this exhibition and talk series is a celebration of the future of design and the role creatives play in shaping our world—a must-see for anyone interested in the intersection of design, sustainability, and innovation. Featured designers include Bobby Corica, Lex Williams, Ed Cook, Julian Leigh May, Nathan Martin, Nicholas Aylward, Nicola Charlesworth, Kim Stanek, Tanika Jellis and Tess Pirrie. The exhibition runs from 18-25 May. For more information click here.

OLD BMW WORKSHOP (ENTRY VIA POWER STREET) BMW PARKING LOT, 156 City Road, Southbank

Work in progress at the studio of artist Peter D. Cole for Vitrine: Object And Identity presented by Marsha Golemac. Image: Annika Kafcaloudis.

Vitrine: Object And Identity

Presented by Marsha Golemac

Vitrine is an invitation to reflect upon the significance of objects and how they can shape and reflect our identity. The exhibition serves as an opportunity for viewers to engage with and understand how progressive societies, communities and cultural understandings act as a foundation for innovative practices. The exhibition runs from 19-24 May. For more information click here.

43 Derby St, Collingwood

Dalton Stewart for Trade Between presented by DO WORKS at the Nicholas Building.

Trade Between

Presented by Do Works

DO WORKS presents its debut project, Trade Between, at the Nicholas Building in Melbourne’s CBD. A group of emerging architects and designers have created furniture that transcends the mundane and enters the realm of the metaphysical, bridging the gap between aesthetic form and assumptions of use. Trade Between draws on the rich history and cultural significance of furniture, positioning these objects as a continued medium of exchange. The exhibition runs from 18 – 28 May. For more information click here.

Room 813, Lvl 8, Building 37, Nicholas Building, Swanston Street, Melbourne

1hr Exhibition by Friends And Associates.

1-Hour Exhibition

Presented by Friends & Associates

This temporary, one-hour exhibition is hosted in a pre-renovated concrete warehouse space in Fitzroy. 1-Hour Exhibition invites designers, architects, creatives and the general public to bring an object that can be sat on—think a piece of paper, closed laptop, pizza box, or backpack—to be exhibited in Friends & Associates’ shortest group exhibition to date, organised in collaboration with Myf Doughty. As part of the exhibition, all seats will be documented, and if unavailable, seating will be provided. The only requirement of the exhibition is that you must stay for the complete 60 minutes.

Over the past 6 years, Friends & Associates have organised various exhibitions that have asked creatives to think about issues ranging from environmental degradation to intellectual property theft, including Welcome to Wasteland, Self Portrait, 26 Original Fakes, and A World We Don’t Want. The exhibition takes place on 21 May. For more information click here.

Corner Argyle St & Fitzroy St, Fitzroy

Bachli Furniture celebrates MDF Italia’s 30th anniversary with The Principle of Lightness.

The Principle of Lightness | Celebrating 30 Years of MDF Italia

Presented by BACHLI Furniture

BACHLI Furniture presents The Principle of Lightness created to mark MDF Italia’s 30th anniversary. The Principle of Lightness Collection—limited editions in hand-polished steel or aluminium finishes—reimagines four exemplary products from its history; simultaneously freezing them in time and bringing new life to them. The exhibition runs from 18–28 May. For more information click here.

BACHLI Furniture, 164 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn

Flack Studio Presents Open Table, an exhibition in collaboration with friends, artists and designers.

Open Table

Presented by Flack Studio

In collaboration with a range of artists and designers, Flack Studio presents a curated exhibition that responds to the idea of gathering around a table. The table recalls memories, rituals, and habits. It is the currency for sharing with others. The table not only nourishes us but satisfies us. It brings together friends and family to create and nurture traditions. In its various forms, the table is closely linked to family and home: the place where many make their first memories together. The table can also be an introduction to a new world.

Flack Studio welcomes the community to an inclusive space that uses art and design to facilitate conversation and connection through creative responses that enable unlikely connections and insightful conversations centred around the table. The exhibition runs from 25-27 May. For more information click here.

Flack Studio, Moor Street, Fitzroy

Contemporary exhibition by Castorina And Co.

Contemporary

Presented by Castorina & Co

An exhibition of radical artists and designers working today across Europe and published worldwide, including Andrea Mancuso of Analogia Project, Studio Cas and Nucleo. The exhibition runs from 18 – 28 May. For more information click here.

CASTORINA & CO, 202 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

{Whose Bright Idea?} presented by Euroluce. Image: Courtesy Eurolace.

{Whose Bright Idea?}

Presented by Euroluce, ARUP, Woods Bagot, Woven Image and EMAC

How do we view good design? Is it as much about aesthetics as it is about sustainability? {Whose Bright Idea?} is an immersive and memorable installation created by ARUP, Woods Bagot, Euroluce Woven Image and Emac that provokes these questions. To promote the team’s joint values in providing sustainable outcomes through considered design, the installation takes the viewer on an immersive sensory journey of sight, sound, and touch to prompt thought and discussion. The exhibition runs from 18 – 27 May. For more information click here.

Euroluce Melbourne, 49 Exhibition Street, Melbourne

Open Room presents Fdb Mobler Danish Design For The Common Good.

FDB Møbler: Danish Design For The Common Good, Since 1942

Presented by Open Room

FDB Møbler, a Danish furniture brand since 1942, is inviting visitors to explore their brand, history, and future through video projections and product display in the Collingwood showroom. Jess Lillico and Sean Fennessy, from Lillico-Fennessy, will be presenting a selection of FDB Møbler chairs in a series of photographs in the Australian landscape. The exhibition runs from 23 – 27 May. For more information click here.

Open Room, Johnston Street, Collingwood

Numbulwar Country. Image: Courtesy of Numbulwar Numburundi Arts.

Ghost nets in the Numbulwar Numburundi Arts. Ghost Nets by Agency Projects and Tait. Image courtesy of Numbulwar Numburindi Arts.

Artists weaving on the beach. Ghost Nets by Agency Projects and Tait. Image courtesy of Numbulwar Numburindi Arts.

Numbulwar Pop-up Studio and Exhibition – A Collaboration Between Tait, Agency and Numbulwar Numburindi Arts

Presented by Agency Projects and Tait

An exhibition of woven furniture designs by Numbulwar Numburindi Arts master weavers Joy Wilfred and Rose Wilfred will be on display at Tait’s Fitzroy showroom. The artists have reimagined Tait’s iconic Tidal chair, a design of which references ocean and wave patterns, using discarded ghost fishing nets that wash up on the shores of the remote Numbulwar community. The project is a collaboration with not-for-profit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation Agency and Tait. The exhibition runs from 18 – 28 May. For more information click here.

Tait Showroom, 209-211 Smith Street, Fitzroy

Building stories by Andy Miller and Olivia Hamilton.

Building Stories

Presented by Andy Miller and Olivia Hamilton

This project is the first in a series of interactive digital works that capture Melbourne’s rapidly disappearing vernacular architecture and interiors. It engages with digital storytelling techniques and new technologies to create an archive that records the physical architectural spaces and the associated human and non-human lives and stories that were created and supported by the specific space. The exhibition runs from 18 – 27 May. For more information click here.

Twosixty, 260 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

Solar-powered bench installation presented by ENESS.

A Solar-Powered Bench That Spins Ever So Slowly

Presented by ENESS

A Solar-Powered Bench That Spins Ever So Slowly revolves using sunlight giving users a new perspective on their urban context through slow rotation. This whimsical motion offers visitors a playful opportunity to change their perspective on public space through the gradual rotation. The installation will be held at the NGV Garden Terrace on 18 – 28 May. For more information click here.

National Gallery of Victoria, Saint Kilda Road, Melbourne

Symphonic Skateboarding presented by Kirby Clark. Image: Courtesy Kirby Clark.

Symphonic Skateboarding

Presented by Kirby Clark

Symphonic Skateboarding captures the unique beauty of skateboarding through an installation of playful colourful forms that create music when skated on. Designed using collective input from traditionally excluded skaters, this installation challenges the past perceptions of skateboarding and showcases its diverse and inclusive future. It demonstrates a vision for the future of skating that integrates into public space in interactive, accessible and aesthetically striking ways. The exhibition runs from 26 – 28 May. For more information click here.

Alexandra Gardens, 3 Boathouse Dr, Melbourne

Burnt Earth: Material Culture Presented by Wardle. Pictured: Brick Glaze Experiment.

Burnt Earth: Material Culture

Presented by Wardle

Join Wardle for an insightful discussion led by partners John Wardle and Meaghan Dwyer, and architectural graduate and researcher Michael McMahon. Michael is a descendant of the Bundjalung people of North East New South Wales. The panel will explore material culture, Indigenous context, provenance, Caring for Country, and material invention with burnt earth. The talk will be held on 24 May at 6:30pm. For more information click here.

Wardle, 25 Rokeby St, Collingwood

MudTalks 05—Co-Design And Collaboration: The Challenges And Opportunities presented by Mud Australia.

MudTalks 05—Co-design and Collaboration: The Challenges and Opportunities

Presented by Mud Australia

Mud Australia invites guests to Robin Boyd’s iconic Walsh Street House for an in-depth conversation on collaborative product design with Shelley Simpson (founder, creative director and designer of Mud Australia), Zachary Hanna (lighting and furniture designer at Studio Zachary Hanna) and Karen McCartney (author, editor, curator and promoter of exceptional architecture, interiors, craft and design). Using a soon-to-be-released collaboration between Shelley and Zachary as a step-off, expect a wide-ranging discussion, with Q&A, on aligning skills, design ideation, product execution and going to market. The talk will be held on 27 May at 11 am. For more information click here.

Walsh Street House (Boyd House II), 290 Walsh St, South Yarra

Perspectives Exhibition presented by Collective Futures and The Australian Institute of Architects.

Perspectives Exhibition

Presented by Collective Futures and The Australian Institute of Architects

Perspectives shares the processes behind the work of BIPOC and women architects and designers through a display of conversations, notes, records, sketches and ephemera. The accumulation of this process will culminate in a talk series, which includes Kenyan architects Cave Bureau, Argentinean urban planner Natalia Dopazo and Mexican property developer Alberto Kritzler. The exhibition runs from 20 – 28 May For more information click here.

Testing Grounds Emporium, 438 Queen Street, Melbourne

[Images courtesy of Melbourne Design Week. Photography credits as noted.]