How many Fitzroyalty can you fit in a box?

This was the amusing and intimate game played by many of us at the opening of the Gorker gallery on the corner of Kerr and Gore Streets. The show, called The Forty Thieves, featured similarly sized square works by some of the best known local street and graffiti artists.

The show was extremely well attended, and the crowd flowed out onto the footpath; the usual sign of a successful Fitzroy event. The wide roller door was soon opened to make it easier to get in and out, as the normal entrance door became choked.

The gallery is a surprisingly compact rectangle that was still being worked on when I walked past on the weekend.

The launch was sponsored by Bimbo Deluxe and Austins wines, whose sixfootsix Shiraz Viognier tasted much better in a plastic cup in a crowded gallery than it did in a glass at the crowded Victorian Wine Regions Showcase at Federation Square in June (the Geelong region event). It’s funny how wine tasting is such a subjective experience that is significantly shaped by environment.

New shows are promised every two weeks, the opening hours are very Fitzoy friendly 11am-7pm (no early mornings) and there will be tastings of Austins wines every Wednesday from 6-7pm. How delighful!