Canberra’s newest (and priciest) attraction stops traffic, literally

I’m standing in the mouth of Lindy Lee’s extraordinary sculpture Ouroboros. Light bounces off its mirror surface, reflecting at me like millions of stars in a clear night sky. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch a car mount the kerb, hazard lights flashing as its occupants take snaps through the open windows.

Commissioned to mark the National Gallery of Australia’s 40th anniversary, Australia’s most expensive public artwork (at $14 million) has become a surprise social media attraction. “It’s exciting to come past day and night and see people connecting,” the gallery’s head curator, Deborah Hart, says.

Australia’s most expensive public artwork, Ouroboros by Lindy Lee.Credit:

Lee’s most ambitious sculpture yet, Ouroboros is both beautiful and intriguing, and people can look at it in various ways, Hart says.

“In the day the sculpture reflects the sky, the water and the people that visit it. And at night it’s lit up from the inside, like a lantern, giving its light back out to the world.”

Public interest in the Brisbane-based artist’s sculpture is high. On another day, a car drove the wrong way around the gallery’s entrance to get a closer look; meanwhile, onlookers flock in droves to see the sculpture lit up at sunset. “This part of Canberra is typically quiet, especially at night, and to see people pulling up and enjoying it and being inspired is wonderful,” says Hart.

Lit up like a lantern: Ouroboros after dark.Credit:

The eye-catching sculpture is meant to embody the ouroboros, an ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail, representing eternity. Hart said Lee wanted a lightness to the work, so an engineer had to work on the logistics for the 13-tonne, four-metre-high sculpture to hold. “There’s both a lightness to it as well as a monumentality,” Hart said.

To complement its unveiling, visitors can view a collection of Lee’s work, bringing together highlights from the artist’s career as well as a monumental new installation and works on paper (on show at the gallery until June 1).

Ouroboros is the impetus for my visit to Canberra, a city that (unfairly) struggles with labels such as boring, sterile and lifeless. Over four days, I dive into the capital’s cool and creative side, exploring the artistic heart of this global city of design.

Which is how I find myself in the suburban backyard of ceramicist Anne Masters at the Gallery of Small Things (GOST).

Gallery of Small Things is about makers and designers who love texture and form, fabulous and small.Credit: VisitCanberra

From the immensity of Ouroboros to the capital’s tiniest gallery, at less than six square metres, the contrast could not be more marked. The minuscule gallery features both emerging and established visual artists who focus on texture, form and unique creations. Founded and directed by Masters, it supports emerging artists and recent graduates by providing a platform to showcase their work alongside established artists.

But why small? “People have a real curiosity factor,” Masters says of her intimate gallery space. “It’s disarming, and visitors are pleasantly surprised to find the art is affordable, unlike in many big galleries, where both the scale and price tag can be intimidating.”

The Gallery of Small Things: Less than six square metres and featuring affordable (small) works.Credit: VisitCanberra

Local Canberra artist Lee Leibrandt, who specialises in weaving small design tapestries, is also on hand to talk me through her abstract works inspired by walks through the nearby Mount Majura Nature Reserve.

With a jar of Masters’ homegrown strawberries on the passenger seat, I make for Paranormal Wines in Campbell (nothing in Canberra is more than 10 minutes’ drive away; locals say eight). Here owner Max Walker, former bar manager at Melbourne’s MoVida Aqui, takes me through his range of natural wines from Australian and international producers.

Far more than your average local bottle-o, Paranormal Wines is also a wine bar where interesting art graces the walls and a menu features creative share plates by chef Reece Inkpen to pair with your chosen libation. His house-made ricotta and nectarine toast and chicken thigh with snap peas and parsley are particularly memorable.

Far more than a bottle-o: Indulge in creative share plates and natural wines.Credit:

Day and night, I hop between some of Canberra’s edgiest restaurants, coolest cafes and cosiest bars.

There’s Rebel Rebel (named after the Bowie song), a few minutes’ stroll from the uber-cool Ovolo Nishi where I’m staying. Co-owner and front-of-house Jenny Harders, alongside masterful chef Sean McConnell, serve up flavour-packed dishes that Canberrans can’t get enough of. Try the grilled prawn with bay leaf butter and the decadent croquettes.

Rebel Rebel: It’s named after the David Bowie song, so expect an edgy menu.Credit:

Onzieme, helmed by chef Louis Couttoupes, meanwhile, is heaving on a Friday night in inner-city Kingston. Inspired by Parisian bistronomy, Onzieme offers a daily-evolving menu that spotlights local produce. I’m propped up at the bar next to a regular who staff indulge by allowing him to bring his own Riedel glass to imbibe from. Couttoupes takes me down a secret stairway where locals are enjoying a tipple in 11e Cave – an underground wine bar tucked away in an old bank vault.

Just when I think Canberra’s food and wine scene could not get any more exciting, I arrive atop Red Hill, where one of Canberra’s mid-century icons has been reimagined by multi-award-winning restaurateur Tracy Keeley and sons Matthew and Nicholas.

Dubbed the spaceship, Lunetta is a mid-century icon reimagined.Credit: Lillie Thompson

Blending modernist design and Italian-inspired cuisine, this striking 1963 landmark has reopened after a three-year hiatus, bringing two exciting new restaurants to the city: Lunetta, an elevated Italian-inspired restaurant on the first floor, and Lunetta Trattoria, a relaxed neighbourhood bar below. Lamenting the day’s mist-shrouded outlook, Keeley says diners normally experience uninterrupted sweeping Canberra vistas through the retained bay windows.

The upside is that my full attention goes to Lunetta’s drool-worthy Italian antipasti, hearty wood-fired dishes (try the baked lumache alla vodka) and striking interiors by Sydney architecture studio ACME. The new iteration somehow honours both the original form of Miles Jakl’s futuristic restaurant and a distinctive layer of modernist expression later incorporated by renowned Italian-born architect Enrico Taglietti.

The stylish interiors by Sydney architecture studio ACME at Lunetta.Credit: Lillie Thompson

Stepping outside after a leisurely lunch made even more memorable by the warm, attentive service, the haze blankets the panoramic view lifts and, in that moment, I see the capital in a whole new light.

Five more creative capital must-dos

Create your own vase at the Canberra Glassworks.Credit: Melissa Adams

Explore Dairy Road + Fyshwick
Once an industrial hub best known for its car yards, government warehouses and red-light district, Dairy Road is now home to a gallery, distilleries, food outlets, coffee roasters, a brewery and more. In nearby Fyshwick, explore vintage collectibles and pre-loved items at the Designer Op Shop Emporium, Dirty Janes Canberra and the newly opened Capital Bazaar. See dairyroad.com.au

Meet Canberra’s ‘badass’ women
Learn about Canberra’s movers and shakers on this two-hour walking tour that uncovers stories of Australia’s most misunderstood city. The “Badass Women of Canberra” walking tour takes a deep dive into the capital’s lesser-known past. See sheshapeshistory.com.au

Make your own glass vase
Watch glass artists in action working with kilns firing at 810 degrees or make your own glass tumbler or vase in a one-on-one class with a skilled glassblower at Canberra Glassworks, housed in the historic Kingston Power House. See canberraglassworks.com

Explore the capital’s most fashionable strip
Braddon’s hip Lonsdale Street is the place to discover original Canberra designers, handcrafted gifts and homewares, great cafes such as Barrio and POP Canberra, and more than 250 local makers. See visitcanberra.com.au

Visit the National Portrait Gallery
Learn about Australia’s identity, history, culture and diversity via portraiture. See portrait.gov.au

The details

Fly or drive
Canberra is a three-hour drive south of Sydney; seven hours from Melbourne. The capital is served by daily direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Newcastle.

Eat + see
Rebel Rebel; see rebelrebeldining.com.au
Paranormal Wines; see paranormalwines.com
Onzieme; see onzieme.com.au
Gallery of Small Things; see galleryofsmallthings.com
National Gallery of Australia (NGA); see nga.gov.au

Stay
The seriously cool Ovolo Nishi in the heart of the NewActon cultural hub showcases award-winning sustainable design, an internal Tasmanian fern-filled atrium, a compact gym, library, cocktail bar and the acclaimed Monster Kitchen and Bar. Snug rooms (15 square metres) from $165 a night. See ovolohotels.com

The writer travelled with assistance from Visit Canberra. See visitcanberra.com.au