GRACIE – Escher is here – are you ready?

Be prepared to have your senses tested when you visit the centre piece of National Gallery of Victoria’s Spring/Summer 2018/19 season – Escher X Neno Between two Worlds. This is an experience not to be missed. The broad body of work by Dutch artist M.C. Escher draws you in to optical illusions and imaginary worlds. It’s fun and visually challenging so get ready to be amazed.

M.C. Escher Lithograph ‘Bond of Union’ Image: GRACIE

M.C. Escher Woodcut ‘Sky and Water I’ Image: GRACIE

There are 160 prints and drawings that have been brought together in collaboration with Japanese design studio nendo that ensures you experience more than a walk around the gallery’s walls peering at drawings, instead you find yourself on a fascinating journey of visual experience.

Walking through this ‘hallway’ you feel like Alice in Wonderland except that you don’t disappear down a hole. Instead, you have very intriguing sort of adventure.

Installation by Japanese design studio Nendo. Image: GRACIE

The entire look and feel of this exhibition is unique. The presentation is stunning. We’re not going to say too much about what you will find, but take a look at these images we captured while visiting and that will give you some idea.

Installation by Japanese design studio Nendo. Image: GRACIE

But back to the drawings and lithographs. The most iconic will be familiar like this work entitled Belvedere and there’s a wealth of others that manipulate the eye and totally fascinate.

M.C. Escher Lithograph ‘Belvedere’ Image: GRACIE

M. C. Escher Day and night February 1938 woodcut, printed in grey and black inks
Escher Collection, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, the Netherlands© The M. C. Escher Company, the Netherlands. All rights reserved

Not to be missed is the lithograph of Escher’s Drawing of hands where one hand is drawing the other. It’s mesmerising in every detail. If you look closely it’s as though the hands rise from the paper to face each other.