“There’s nothing like a few hours at MONA to clear your brain…” I said to an older woman I shared the lift with a few hours ago. In contrast to her view there was “so much to think about”, my view is that a visit to MONA helps you “not think”. You come in, forget about the world, and immerse yourself in a world of creativity. Even though I’ve visited MONA a few times before, it still overwhelms me: the beauty; the thoughtfulness of the works; the passion.

Like “White Rabbit” in Sydney, MONA is a “gift” from a wealthy individual, that easily outranks many of the public galleries in Australia. It’s understandable, since the public galleries are hopelessly underfunded in comparison with what the multi-millionaire/billionaire owners of these two private galleries are able to offer.

Unlike the public galleries who face scrutiny for every purchase they make (undoubtedly, it’s part of the legacy of the controversy of the early 70s purchase of Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles) these gallery owners can pretty much purchase whatever their credit cards will afford. And it pays off. For me at least, since I prefer “edgier” work.

Here’s some of my favourite works from spending a few hours at MONA earlier today.

As a post-script, I should add this is not a slight on public galleries.