Feed your curiosity at Australia’s biggest celebration of drinking and dining - 21 to 30 March.

The Dirty Dozen Exhibition

Presented by Square

21–30 March

Curated by Richard Cornish, The Dirty Dozen is an exhibition showcasing tasty stories about Melbourne’s street food, from oyster saloons to dim sim.

Entry

Free

(Includes GST, fees may apply)

Location

City Gallery at Melbourne Town Hall

Enter via Customer Service Centre Melbourne Town Hall, 120 Swanston Street
Melbourne, 3000

From sumptuous banquets, bustling markets and coffee houses to dim sim, burgers and meat pies, The Dirty Dozen exhibition illustrates how street food has always been at the heart of Melbourne and its identity.

Curated by award-winning food writer Richard Cornish, the exhibition features newly commissioned ceramic artworks by artist Kenny Pittock of quintessential street foods like ice cream and banh mì. All look good enough to eat.

In between the highs and lows, the exhibition also illuminates Melbourne’s history as a city of markets. Serving up some illuminating backstories and drawing surprising connections between the past and the present, The Dirty Dozen offers a view into the ways our culinary and comestible habits shape and have been shaped by this place we call home.

Image top: Kenny Pittock, Steamed and Fried Dimmies, 2024, image courtesy of the artist and MARS Gallery, Melbourne, and Olsen Gallery, Sydney.

Image below: Artist Kenny Pittock. Photographer: Emmy Clifton.

The exhibition is open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 4pm. Entry is free.

More information

  • Gift voucher not redeemable
  • Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
  • Child-friendly: Yes
  • Venue Directions: Enter via the City of Melbourne Customer Service Centre at Melbourne Town Hall, 120 Swanston St, Melbourne.
  • For all event enquiries, please call (03) 9658 9658 or email citygallery@melbourne.vic.gov.au