Christmas is literally this week, so if you haven’t done your Christmas shopping yet, now is the time to start. If you’re in the city, and you’re shopping at Melbourne Central, take a break and pop into an adorable art installation under the clock. In this colourful cartoon supermarket, you’ll find plenty of Instagrammable moments to brighten your feed.
MC Mart at Melbourne Central
You’ve never seen a supermarket this cute before. MC Mart is an exclusive installation brought to you by Lauren Carney, a Tokyo-based visual artist. Inside, you’ll find a magical place where Melbourne and Tokyo collide. Explore hundreds of artworks dedicated to our beautiful city, with playfully hidden messages waiting to be discovered.
While it is a supermarket, we should note that you can’t actually eat any of the food! It’s just a wonderfully aesthetic space that’s perfect for a fun photo op.
“My inspiration for this art space was to encourage people to take in the details while out shopping and supporting local business,” said Lauren. “As an Australian artist currently based in Tokyo, I have hidden little gems throughout the space as a nod to Melbourne – still one of my favourite cities.”
MC Mart is now open, and will stay around until March.
What else is on at Melbourne Central?
With Christmas on the horizon, this shopping centre has other ways to keep festive shoppers busy. Every night until Christmas Eve, enjoy a nine-storey tall Christmas tree animation illuminated on the iconic Shot Tower.
Then, if you spend over $50, enter a mysterious silver cube complete with a pixelated mistletoe. Step inside, and you’ll find a colourful space reminiscent of Squid Game. Scan as many QR codes as you can in 60 seconds, and win gift cards ranging from $5 to $250. There are $30, 000 worth of gift cards up for grabs before Christmas.
Find this mistletoe experience on Level 2, near Country Road and Seed.
Learn more here.