One Star shines as a creative home

For the past six years, One Star Lounge & Gallery on Victoria St has quietly established itself as one of North Melbourne’s most welcoming creative spaces.

More than just a gallery, it is a place where art, conversation and community naturally come together, with Victorian artists exhibiting on a fortnightly rotation.

“I curate the exhibits, we change artists every two weeks,” co-owner Katy said.

For Katy and her husband Mick Harvey, musician & founding member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, opening the gallery was the culmination of a long-held ambition.

“We’d been talking about getting a venue for different art forms when this place came up, so we went for it,” she said.

The couple have called North Melbourne home since the mid-1990s, and when the opportunity arose to transform the former One Star Coffee Lounge into a gallery, Mick was determined to preserve a little piece of the building’s history.

“It used to be the One Star Coffee Lounge, famous for its Italian coffee,” Katy said. “he really wanted to keep the name.”

While some artists initially found it amusing, telling people they had a show at “One Star”, the name has since become part of the venue’s character.

“I like it because it’s anti-review,” Katy laughed. “Everything has to be five stars.”

Stepping inside, visitors are welcomed into a light-filled gallery separated by original brick arches that frame the exhibition space from the licensed bar. The minimalist interior allows the artwork to take centre stage, with the space transforming every two weeks as new exhibitions are installed.

The gallery has become a popular stop before dinner or a night out, while plenty of locals finally venture inside after years of walking past.

“So many people say they’ve walked past all the time and it’s the first time they’ve come in,” Katy said. “They really enjoy the art and end up coming back.”

While visitors can enjoy a coffee, wine or beer, Katy is quick to point out that the gallery remains the focus.

“It’s gallery first,” she said. “The bar is there to support it, but hopefully it’s also a meeting place for artists, locals and all sorts of other people.”

That philosophy extends well beyond exhibitions. Alongside fortnightly openings and closing drinks, One Star regularly hosts film screenings, live music and creative events, with many artists meeting through the space before collaborating on future projects.

Accessibility also remains central to the gallery’s mission.

“We want to make it accessible, but we also want to maintain a really high quality of work,” she said.

Whether dropping in for a morning coffee, enjoying a glass of wine before dinner or discovering Melbourne’s next emerging artist, One Star Lounge & Gallery has become exactly what its owners hoped it would be – a welcoming creative space where art, ideas and community continue to flourish.

The gallery’s next exhibition, Walk on the Wild Side by Stella Sallman, runs from Thursday, July 16 to Sunday, July 26.

One Star Lounge & Gallery is open Thursday and Friday from 3pm to 7pm, Saturday from 1pm to 7pm and Sunday from 1pm to 5pm at 301–303 Victoria St, West Melbourne.

For more information, visit @onestarlounge on Instagram. •