It’s no secret that the Gallery of Modern Art is one of my favourite places in Brisbane. If you’re in need of a dose of inspiration, entertainment, or bemusement (because hey, modern art) GOMA is currently running some excellent free exhibitions in celebration of their 10th birthday. These include Sugar Spin: You, Me, Art and Everything and A World View: The Tim Fairfax Gift. As well as newly commissioned artworks, if you’ve been a regular visitor over the past decade, you might recognise some artworks from previous exhibitions. These are just a few of my favourites from a recent visit to the gallery.
Sugar Spin: You, Me, Art and Everything
‘Nervescape V’ 2016 / Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir a.k.a. Shoplifter (Iceland/USA). This bold installation is probably the major drawcard for the gallery right now. Made of synthetic hair, this multicoloured landscape cascades down the gallery’s cavernous walls. Best of all? You can totally touch it. If you look closely you can also see Left/Right Slide by Carsten Höller in the photo above which are, yes, slides you can ride down. Cheers to interactive art.
‘HEARD’ 2012 / Nick Cave (USA). These wearable sculptures are so fun to look at. While they’re mostly stationary, they do function in a performative manner. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to witness a performance but there’s a video in the gallery that shows them in action.
‘from hear to ear (v. 13)’ 2010 / Céleste Boursier-Mougenot (France). This musical installation featuring live finches is such a unique experience. Around 20 people are allowed into the space at a time to observe the birds. During peak times you might have to queue for a while to gain entry. I went on a particularly busy weekend and waited about 20 minutes.
A World View: The Tim Fairfax Gift
A collection of works including ‘I Never Stopped Loving You’ 2010 by Tracey Emin (the neon sign that you can’t read up there, but I’ve taken a photo of it previously here) and the hyper-real ‘Bad Dad’ 2013 painting by Michael Zavros.
‘In Bed’ 2005 / Ron Mueck (England).
‘PixCell-Double Deer #4’ 2010 / Kohei Nawa (Japan).
‘Biosphere 02, Biosphere & Biosphere cluster 05’ 2009 / Tomás Saraceno (Argentina).
Pip & Pop ‘ Rainbow Bridge’
‘Rainbow Bridge’ from ‘We Miss You Magic Land!’ 2011 / Pip & Pop (Australia). I’m a sucker for all things Pip & Pop and couldn’t resist squeezing them into this post. These little dioramas have been featured in different parts of the gallery over time however nothing will ever beat the full room installation for ‘We Miss You Magic Land!‘ a few years back.