#388 Emily Soley | Love Letter to the Inner North

There was a queue out the door when I arrived at Dear Neighbour on Smith Street for the opening of Emily Soley's exhibition, A Love Letter to the Inner North. I remember looking around at the crowd and thinking, this is so Melbourne. Thirty-one beautiful watercolour illustrations of the pubs, restaurants, cafes and neighbourhood institutions that mean so much to so many of us. Emily is the artist behind Draw My Home, and what began as a love of drawing people's houses has grown into something rather special. Her illustrations capture the personality of a place, from the tiles and signage to the wine bottles in the window. But it's the stories attached to these buildings that make them so appealing. First dates, weddings, Friday night drinks, the regular table at your local. All those little rituals that become part of our lives. We had such a lovely conversation about our shared affection for Melbourne's north, the emotional connections we make with hospitality venues and the way Emily's work is becoming an archive of places that may not always be there. We talked about old favourites, changing neighbourhoods and the ghosts of venues past. I came home from the exhibition with a beautiful illustration of Jim's Greek Tavern, and I've already got my eye on Emily's next Food of the North calendar. If you haven't been to see A Love Letter to the Inner North, there's still time. It's at Dear Neighbour, 311 Smith Street, Fitzroy, until 1 November. Go and have a wander, find a place that holds a memory for you, and perhaps take a little piece of the north home.