A recently announced exhibition at the Jewish Museum of Australia will go beyond the artist’s paintings, highlighting never-shown works, historical mementos and drawings that’ll immerse you in the Melbourne icon’s world of art, food and famous friends.
I still remember my “Mirka Mora moment”. It was at an exhibition in South Melbourne in the early noughties, and she gave the opening address. I have no memory of the art that was on display – all I remember from that night is Mirka. Her insatiable cheekiness, the warmth that just seemed to ooze from her. Her speech was as Mirka as it gets – spontaneous and off-topic, refreshingly rude, but above all, heartwarming.
The drafter, painter, sculptor and mosaic-maker passed away in 2018 at 90 years old. By that time her dream-like depictions of wide-eyed children, angels, birds and other animals had become iconic. She’s one of just a few Australian artists whose art practice is as respected on the established gallery circuit as it is on the street – from her painting of the very first Melbourne Art Tram in 1978 to her collaborations with local fashion label Gorman in 2016 and 2018.
And this December, the Jewish Museum of Australia will host the largest survey of the artist’s life and work to date.