Saturday 24 January 2015

Mambo: 30 Years of Shelf-Indulgence

I always manage to take in some art when I'm in Melbourne, and my last trip in December was no exception. I went to the absolutely incredible Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. On the way there I had time to scoot through the Mambo exhibition at theAustralian NGV at Federation Square.

This exhibition is to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mambo. Mambo is such an iconic brand, immediately recognisable to Australians. Well known for their distinctive designs on t-shirts and clothing, Mambo is actually much more than that. Posters, art works, statuary and surfboards make for a colourful, fun exhibition.


I just love the couch surfboard
The Endless Sofa
commissioned by David Jones





The Emperor

Original artist sketches
I find it incredible that Mambo has worked with over 250 visual and graphic artists over the past 30 years, and yet they have a single, recognisable, cohesive identity and style.




You've got to love magpie and sprinkler boardies
Mambo have never been afraid of the political

Rednecks Tshirt 1998
raised $110,000 for Aboriginal causes


Or the fun

I wish I'd had one of these
it would have been one of my most treasured
tshirts ever...

Mambo: 30 Years of Shelf-Indulgence
NGV Australia
6 Dec 2014- 22 Feb 2015
Free Entry


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8 comments:

Brona said...

You certainly did put your time to good use!

Mambo was so big in my teen years. I can't believe it's 30 yrs old. That must mean that I am....oh no!!!!

Esme said...

What a fun exhibit. I have never heard of Mambo before. PS there are more food photos up.

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

This was definitely a fun exhibit! Who knew that surfboards could be so enticing? Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

Those are fun pics! The Hat In The Cat cracked me up!

Sandra Nachlinger said...

Love your colorful photos. What a fun exhibit! Everything is so original and delightful. The sofa surfboard gave me a laugh, as did the take-offs on The Cat in the Hat and Mad Magazine. Clever!
Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog today.
Sandy @ TEXAS TWANG

Ginx Craft said...

What an interesting exhibition. I had not heard of Mambo before.

Ginx Craft said...

What an interesting exhibition. I had not heard of Mambo before.

Sean @ His And Her Hobbies said...

You always seem to find the most interesting exhibitions. I had not seen or heard about Mambo in many years. They need to expand and sell over here in the US as they would probably do quite well. I love the photos and enjoyed seeing the different items they had.

Sean @ His and Her Hobbies