On Wednesday night Melbourne is going to put on a show. Nite Art – 40 galleries, 8 precincts, free wine, free music — all happening from 6pm to late. Take-a-half-day-at-work late. Seriously, it is not hyperbole to say that this is one of the coolest nights in Melbourne that you’ll ever experience.

With dozens of events all over the city, what’s an art lover to do to maximise the evening? We turned to Holly, part of the Nite Art team, who has curated a walking tour for The Plus Ones. Follow her guide and we promise you’ll have the best time.

Nite Art Walking Guide

Start your night in the UPPER BOURKE precinct at Gallery Funaki. Experience the collaboration between artists Karl Fritsch, Europe’s leading jewelry designer and New Zealander Gavin Hipkins. They bring together their respective mediums, exquisite jewelry and photography.

Make your way to TCB, a group show, plus the paintings by Natasha Madden (part of her solo exhibition Art House).

At West Space, there are three solo exhibitions and two group shows. Between 7.00 and 9.00pm join Untitled Collective’s screen printing workshop.

At the Athenaeum Library, artist in residence Kyoko Imazu has created tunnel books, which incorporate both a printmaking and bookbinding process. See these works installed at the library and perhaps catch the artist talk from 6.00-7.00pm.

Head to The Kelvin Club, play a game of pool, and have a drink with artist Sarah Hendy and curator David Hagger. This exhibition, ‘The Shake of Leir’, will see Hendy integrate a selection of works spanning the past five years into The Kelvin Club, including six new works painted specifically for the project.

Walk down Russell Street to get to your next precinct, FLINDERS LANE. At Lesley Kehoe Galleries, enjoy the Daniel Truscott exhibition ‘In Ghostly Japan’. At 8.00pm hear the artist speak as well as a Butoh performance by Shirow Kaze-Dama of Kyo-Mu-Kan.

Head to Flinders Lane Gallery where you will find work by artists Jon Eiseman and Michelle Molinari on display. As the night goes on, Claire Bridges will be painting live in the gallery at 8.50-9.15, with the final work produced being sold at silent auction for charity.

Walk through to Flinders Lane and view artist Magda Matwiejew’s photographic exhibition ‘Moonlight and Wax’ at Karen Woodbury Gallery.

View the curated photography exhibition’Out of the closets, into the streets: gay liberation photography 1971-73′ at Edmund Pearce Gallery, featuring artists Philip Potter, John Storey, John Englart, Barbara Creed, Ponch Hawkes and Rennie Ellis.

Blindside offers up talks and performances across the nite, on the hour, every hour by artists involved in the exhibition’Vital Signs: Interpreting the Archive’, curated by Angela Bailey and Nick Henderson.

At Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, curated exhibition ‘Future Tense’ includes artists Lesley Duxbury, Harry Nankin, Dan Armstrong and Felicity Spear. In various ways, the following questions will be contemplated: What might the inhabitants of the future see when they look back at our time? How do we envisage events yet to happen?

As the nite goes on, make your way to our art bar, Shebeen. Artist DJ’s Lewis Fidock and Nick Selenitsch will be DJing from 6pm.

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Take the tram up Elizabeth Street to engage with the GUILDFORD LANE precinct. Head over to Screen Space which hosts Grant Stevens’ exhibition ‘Supermassive’, a synchronised four-channel video installation with sound.

Continue your journey north and jump off the tram at the Queen Victoria Market to experience Kit Webster’s video projection and synchronized sound piece located in Shed K.

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Next up, THE MELBOURNE UNIVERISTY precinct. Participate in the rare opportunity to view and interact with the collection at the Harry Brooks Allen Museum of Anatomy and Pathology. Enjoy the work created by artist in residence Gina Kalabishes. Join a tour of the collection; plus experience a life drawing class with artist Nina Sellars, and a talk with Annaliese Milk.

Curator Anna Briers has worked with artist Luke Paulding to create a site-specific sound experience titled ‘Vessel’ at The Royal Melbourne Hospital Tunnels.

Cross back over the road to The Grainger Museum where Rodger Alsop presents ‘In and Out, Over and Under’, his audio/visual response to Percy Grainger’s ‘Free Music’ algorithms.

Interact with the collection at The Dax Centre, as well as viewing the group exhibition ‘Healing Ways: Art with Intent’. Join a curator’s talk at either 8.00 or 9.00pm.

The George Paton Gallery presents ‘Transmissions: Archiving HIV/AIDS – Melbourne 1979-2014’. Experience works from both public and private collections, as well as works produced by artists Juan Davila, Andrew Foster, Brent Harris, Matthew Jones, Peter Lyssiotis, Lex Middleton, Andi Nellssun, Scott Resford and Ross T Smith. At 7pm-8.00pm listen to a reading by Javant Biarujia, ‘Charles Roberts, Infected Queer-20 Years On’.

Finally, end your nite by enjoying a special preview of the Basil Sellars Art Prize 4 exhibition at the Ian Potter Museum of Art featuring Australia’s leading artists. From 10pm onwards, join the late night activation and hear performances from art band Pamela and DJ Arcane Trickster.

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Good lord. I’m getting more excited by the minute, aren’t you? I can hardly wait until Wednesday for things to kick off. Not only is this the perfect way to explore the city, you get to sip wine at the galleries, listen to live music, and see some world-class art.

We’ll see you there.

-Theresa & Ruki

All images via Zilla & Brook.
Disclosure: The Plus Ones are indebted to the Nite Art team for  compiling the tours.