SOIREE

Mercedes-Benz celebrated Australian Indigenous art during an event at its Mercedes Me Store in Melbourne, hosted by Vogue Australia. On the night, Mercedes-Benz brought Adelaide’s Pwerle Gallery to Melbourne, allowing guests to engage with Aboriginal art, culture and history. For the occasion, Jade Torres, the founder of Pwerle Gallery, whose grandmother and greatgrandmother respectively are renowned artists Barbara Weir and Minnie Pwerle, was asked to curate a selection of pieces, which ended up becoming a multi-generational exhibition she titled My Grandmother’s Country.

Each piece, created by a member of the Atnwengerrp community of Alice Springs, was available to purchase, with a portion of proceeds going into a community trust. Guests sipped rosé and enjoyed a selection of canapes served by St Ali, the restaurant within the Mercedes Me Store in Melbourne.

The most anticipated moment of the evening was the live art instalment, which had attendees gather asa Jade Torres’s father, respected art dealer Fred Torres, hand-painted the bonnet of a Mercedes-Benz car. Guests watched on throughout the night as a piece of art came to life before their eyes, the perfect tribute to what was a very special evening. Danielle Gay

1. 9. 8. 7. 2. 6. 3. 4. 5. 1. Guests inside the Mercedes Me Store in Melbourne. 2. Toby Porter, Jade Torres, Fred Torres and Alex Katsaros. 3. Simon Johnson. 4. Vogue’s Danielle Gay. 5. Fatima Jarrari and Christopher Montebello. 6. Guests enjoying the event. 7. Fred Torres and Charmaine Pwerle. 8. Alexia Petsinis. 9. Pwerle Gallery’s Jade Torres.