My Mirka

Peter Rosenberg is a retired Barrister, friend of Mirka, and a collector of Mirka’s work. Mirka was the godmother to his son Tom.

Melinda Martin joined the team at Linden New Art (Linden) as Director in July 2012 with 20 years of arts management experience. She is passionate about connecting audiences to the work of leading contemporary artists and creating conversations that lead to new ways of thinking and understanding the complex world we live in.

Prior to joining Linden, Melinda has worked at the Australia Business Arts Foundation, Anna Schwartz Gallery, Monash Gallery of Art and The University of Melbourne.

Coco Love Sheils is a Palawa descendant on Bunurong Land. A conceptual artist, story teller and stylist working out of a 1977 Bedford Bus art studio mosaiced in mirror glass.

Liz Reynolds is a librarian for local government, but also an art lover, a culture lover, a nature lover, a film lover, a science lover, and a music lover.

After completing a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communications from RMIT University (1991), Natalie started Bloom Cosmetics in 1993 at the age of 22. Bloom quickly became a well recognised Australian business success story. Ahead of its time, Bloom earned a cult-like statis on a global scale.

Natalie has been the recipient of numerous awards that recognise her vision, entrepreneurship, and leadership flair.

International and local acclaim for the brand collided with Natalie’s growing family and desire for more work life balance. In 2012, after almost 20 years in business, Natalie decided to scale back the business to an online model to allow her to focus on nurturing other passions including; painting, studying French, cooking and bee keeping while balancing motherhood with a more meaningful and present approach. The online model continues to grow and allows for the joys of product development and design.

Natalie lives in Melbourne with her husband and four children.

Lily Mora is the Founder and Director of Sunday Salon. An online art platform for emerging artists and budding art collectors.

Philippe Mora, born in Paris 1949, is an artist and film-maker who lives in West Hollywood with his wife and three children. In 1967, Philippe aged 18, moved to London. He became successful as an artist, exhibiting and providing graphic art for The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics.

Philippe directed his first feature film, Trouble in Molopolis, in London with financial support from Australian artist, Arthur Boyd. His collaboration with American actor Dennis Hopper brought Mora to Hollywood’s attention. Mad Dog Morgan about the 19th-century Australian outlaw, 'Mad Dog' Morgan, featured Hopper as the audacious Daniel Morgan. It was the first Australian-made film to find a wide release in the USA. Amongst Mora’s more than 40 directing credits are; The Beast Within, Communion, Howling 2 – Your Sister is a Werewolf & Howling 3 – The Marsupials and Death of a Soldier.

Mora writes regularly for Art Monthly Australia and the Sydney Morning Herald and contributed an engaging interview for, Not Quite Hollywood, a documentary on the history of OZploitation films in Australia.

From a young age Carlo Grossi was surrounded by food and hospitality. Learning from his grandfather and father, his interest in the industry spiked at a young age. Travelling through Europe, the UK and America in his youth, tasting wine and eating in the world class restaurants cemented his understanding of artisan produce, culture and the dining world.

After completing year 12, Carlo swiftly moved into the family business, working front of house at Mirka Tolarno Hotel. Not long into the role, Carlo had polished his exceptional customer service skills and genuine hospitality nature.

With years of experience working in the industry, research trips to New York and Europe, ongoing management, food and wine studies and professional development, including a Masters in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, Carlo has firmly grounded his feet in the hospitality industry.

He has successfully managed the launch of Ombra Salumi Bar in 2012 receiving the prestigious Donlevy Fitzpatrick Award in the Age Good Food Guide. In 2021 he released his first cookbook as a celebration of Ombra. He reinvented the new Grill at Grossi Florentino in 2016 and continues to oversee all operations of service in Grossi Venues whilst providing care and service to his valued guests. His exceptional understanding of hospitality and guest experience has recently seen Carlo nominated as a finalist in Gourmet Traveller Front of House Personality.

Guy Grossi is a devoted chef and restaurateur. He is the owner of Grossi Restaurants including Florentino, Ombra Salumi Bar, Arlechin, and Garum Perth.

Recognised as one of the country’s leading authorities on Italian food, he has been a sought after to train and mentor within the industry and evoke thinking around the future of food and hospitality. Guy is a recent Fellow of the International Specialised Skills Institute and Co-Founder of The Melbourne Tomato Festival.

His passions lie within his cooking and sourcing pure ingredients prepared with integrity. Guy is driven to share his knowledge and experiences through his bestselling books; Love Italy, Recipes from My Mother's Kitchen, My Italian Heart, Secrets and Recipes and Cellar Bar.

Guy is devoted to preserving culture and traditions and is also a dedicated philanthropist committing much of his personal time and funds in assisting young people in need and mentoring others.

Guy’s restaurants attract great praise but what gives him the most joy is the satisfaction of feeding a hungry diner.

Scott is a Melbourne based Blogger, podcaster, photographer, healthcare worker and aspiring fiction writer. He has a keen interest in history and modern writing culture and explores this in his blogging. 

Scott is a co-author of a book documenting the artwork of the since demolished Royal Children’s Hospital in Queensland and has contributed photographs to the Queensland State Library’s archives. He is the author of The Filthy Platen - a blog on collecting, history and travel. He has worked in Melbourne’s theatre industry and was a founding member of a production company that operated in the 1990’s called The Company Of Pigs.