Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

Brief Information

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia occupies a building that did not begin as a museum: the Art Deco structure served as the headquarters of the Maritime Services Board. That is why the place is interesting not only for its collection, but also for the changing role of the building itself. A former administrative point on the Circular Quay waterfront became a space for contemporary art, while its maritime past helps visitors read its austere, service-oriented appearance differently.

The museum opened in 1991, and after reconstruction and expansion it reopened on March 29, 2012, under its current name. That was when the Mordant Wing appeared: it increased the available space by almost half again and immediately added a new architectural layer to the old building. In this way, the museum shows two stories at once: an adapted Art Deco building and a later extension for a growing collection of contemporary art.

What to notice first

It is worth comparing the main building and the Mordant Wing. The first is connected with Art Deco and the former work of the Maritime Services Board; the second is described as an avant-garde modular building in the spirit of the 1960s. Their contrast explains why the museum does not look like a single monolith: the old administrative building was not hidden, but placed alongside a new section created after the 2010-2012 expansion.

The Circular Quay waterfront is also important for reading the place: the former maritime headquarters stood precisely here, and this links the location with the building's earlier purpose. Inside, the meaning continues to change through the artworks themselves: the contemporary art collection includes painting, photography, sculpture, works on paper, and moving images, with a notable share made up of works by Aboriginal Australian artists. In this museum, it is worth comparing not eras by date, but the different ways in which an old building and new art have occupied the same space.