It’s hard to gaze at the National Gallery of Victoria’s ever-flowing waterwall and not marvel at the creative power of that iconic vault of art and history. Author–illustrator Wendy Tyrer takes readers through that rippling portal and into a world of art, intrigue and magic in The Curator, an adventurous debut from new graphic novel imprint Perentie Press.

Our heroine is aspiring artist and gallery attendant Mimi, who struggles to find space and time for her art while juggling classes and an overbearing mum who isn’t so sure about Mimi’s chosen profession (especially when there are reports of artists going missing!), and all the while Mimi is trying to impress the impossible-to-read new curator, Simon. At least Simon seems interested in Mimi’s art, because her work bestie Nahal can’t even get him to notice she exists, and if she can’t climb the ladder at the gallery, how will she find the courage to tell her parents she wants to study art history instead of law or medicine?

What starts as a normal (frustrating) week full of screaming kids, spilled coffee and stress gets a whole lot weirder when a strange cat starts appearing around the gallery and the Master Portraits exhibition mysteriously floods. Mimi isn’t looking for any more distractions, when along comes Drew, a cute young sculptor who says he’s just trying to find his dad, a painter who went missing in Paris …

What follows is a magical adventure through space and time, featuring a cast of artists spanning 500 years of art history and a whole lot of cats (including wild, domestic and divine varieties). A seven-year labour of love, The Curator bursts with mysterious puzzles and references to a wide range of artistic movements, galleries and museums, but it’s ultimately a story about creativity, friendship and making art on your own terms. For ages 13+.