The Contemporary Art Society of Victoria Inc. presents ...
CAS at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show 2026
Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
25 - 29 March
Review by Filomena Roberts
35 entries were received with the short notice to enter the CAS exhibition as part of the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show 2026. This year there was a bit of a shake-up in format from previous years with a reduced display area for all the invited exhibitors. There was a process to apply to be part of the show and CAS managed to put on a wonderfully eclectic and colourful display. Severalsold and the purchasers were wildly happy with their decisions and their desire to support local artists. On Friday evening we were treated to some live classical music from a wonderful trio, which added to the ambiance and relaxed feel of the extended hours to 9.30pm. In view of some inclement weather during the week there was a stream of visitors ambling along and taking in the artwork - no doubt some were coming in from the cold away from the outside displays.
CAS at MIF&GS 2026 - our display of 35 works
With the show’s themes of “Flora, Fauna, Natural Landscapes, Garden-scapes, Still Life and Botanical Art” there was plenty to look at and skill and beauty of art to admire.
Visitors (and especially children) were immediately drawn to Anna Mandoki’s “Wild Lime” and “Marigold” mixed media with wood shavings and colour. Some children wanted to touch them and were curious as to what they were made of. Visitors were also much drawn to Damon Kowarsky and Hyunju Kim’s exquisite etching and acquatint works, “ Sark”, “Your Time”, and “Elvina Bay”.
Also much admired was Gopinath Iyer’s “Evening Glory” and “Coastal Pride” traditionally styled oil works.
“Evening Glory” by Gopinath Iyer
“Coastal Pride” by Gopinath Iyer
Ramnath Iyer (brother to Gopinath) attracted a lot of positive comments for his oil painting “Daylesford Lake” and his fantastic, hyper-realistic “Camellia After the Rain” watercolour.
Kylie Castan’s “Opera Pink” and “Rosebuds” were instant hits with the buyers enjoying the style and fluency of marks to create the whole. Congratulations Kylie.
“Camellia After the Rain” by Ramnath Iyer
“Daylesford Lake” by Ramnath Iyer
Jun Liu’s “Quiet Yard” captured the serenity very well and “Kookaburra” watercolour also made a purchaser very happy. Congratulations Jun. Karen Foley also won the heart of a very appreciative buyer with her linocut. “Palm Fern, Fiji” linocut also attracted attention. Congratulations Karen.
There was some close up viewing of Penny Wolf’s watercolour and collage “In the garden of Antheia - Goddess of flowers”.
“Opera Pink” by Kylie Castan
“Rosebuds” by Kylie Castan
Susan Gustafson’s “Blue Vase” on paper and “Wattlebird” on canvas, acrylic pieces also attracted much admiration. Raksmei Keo’s A07 and A10 were delightfully rendered small pictures of proteas, also attracting much praise. Jyothi Mohan’s “Rainbow Parrot Tulips” 1 and 2 oil paintings were very eye catching as visitors came into the space and took in the works. Pratibha Madan’s “Floral Echoes from Taj Mahal” 1 and 2, were expertly painted with a patterned motif of red and yellow and red flowers within, admired greatly. Cressida Fox’s “Partridge in a Pear Tree” invited many appreciative comments and finger pointing, as did “Jack in the Pulpit”. Cressida’s humorous delicately ink and pencil-drawn subjects are always intriguing. Robert Lee’s “Time flies when you’re having fun” and “Things can only get better” mixed media works definitely found some new fans.
The CAS at MIF&GS 2026 Hanging Team
Without volunteers, we would not have a show
All in all the show was a great success with the new format delivering even more sales for MIFGS than previously overall. There were fewer groups represented and more individuals, so well done to CAS for securing a spot. Looking forward to next year, get your works ready, smaller is better, prices under $300 seem to be more manageable for people to take home on the spot.
Downstairs on the ground floor of the Exhibition Buildings, there were many beautiful displays of floral arrangements and elaborate installations, also table layouts complete with floral decorations, napery, cutlery, crockery and glasses. And the dressed models entered by tertiary students - female forms “clothed” in flowers, plants, mosses, textiles and all manner of things - were fantastic.
All of these things are art forms too.
