TarraWarra Museum Of Art

I was getting a tad tired of all the wineries. I love the vineyards because they're beautiful, although the end products don't hold my attention at all. It's not my to-go drink. But I brightened up at the look of TarraWarra Estate because the cosy privately funded but publicly managed TarraWarra Museum of Art is right there.

Before we stepped into the main hall, the man was very taken by Robert Jacks' "Edge Red" and "Four Edge White". He circled the 2 installations and marveled at how infinity is depicted. If we had our other friends here, he would be seeing the art in terms of Math equations.

This round, the man was more fascinated by the current exhibition of quintessentially Australian Brett Whiteley's works titled 'Connections'. I understand the methods of the artist of course, but I was a little lost amidst the modern interpretations, abstraction and figuration. The man stood before "Self Portrait In The Studio (1976)" for a good 15 minutes. "Meta, meta..." he kept repeating. He whipped out his iPhone and googled for information about the installations and art pieces all throughout. I stifled laughter when another visitor walked up to him and asked how much he paid for the audio guide.

The one piece by Brett Whiteley that I found interesting is "I Like Matches (1985)"- 2 giant matches that stand on a white rectangular base and made of wood, plaster and synthetic polymer. I like it so much that the man insisted on buying me the brooch. I'm quite the sucker for spin-off products from museum collections. Each time I look at the a collection, beyond the history and ripple effects of the audience, I instantly think of marketing angles and product 'placement'. Heh.

The quick pop-in to the gallery greatly boosted the ahemmm....spirits (pun intended) for a tasting at TarraWarra Estate's cellar door where I didn't mind its 2008 Reserve Pinot Noir and 2006 Reserve Chardonnay and bought a couple of bottles to last for the next few days. Not to be drunk by me of course, but by the man and the friends!