Living Patterns: Contemporary Australian Abstraction

Discover how artists visualise the imperceptible at the Queensland Art Gallery’s latest, free exhibition, ‘Living Patterns: Contemporary Australian Abstraction’ from September 23 to February 11, 2024.

The artworks on display cover a variety of mediums — from painting and conceptual techniques to sculpture and digital imagery - and a variety of artist ideas and concerns. The exhibition conveys abstraction as a space for freedom and experimentation through colour, space and form.

While some artworks may look like nothing from the real world on first viewing, they are full of encoded cultural knowledge.

Daniel Boyd looks at the social and cultural ‘blinders’ though which historical images are viewed. Using a technique of copying artworks, cultural objects and historical photographs by hand — including the image of Aboriginal and South Seas Islander labourers on a Queensland cane farm as seen in Untitled (HNDFWMIAFN) 2017. He then leaves the image visible only through small dots while the rest of the canvas is covered in charcoal.

The exhibition also highlights artworks in which the human form can be evoked without reverting to figuration  Kate Bohunnis’s sculptures often feature metal from which soft materials hang and stretch: in an active accumulation (tense) 2020/23, a long piece of pink latex extends from the floor to the ceiling of the gallery space, with metal hooks at either end placing this ‘skin’ under tension.

The more you spend time with the artworks in ‘Living Patterns’ the more you’ll get out of this exhibition.

Also to note for any film-buffs, complementing the ‘Living Patterns’ exhibition is a free program at GOMA’s Cinematheque – Colour Box: Abstract Cinema.  Running from 24 Sep 2023 to 4 Feb 2024 it brings together a selection of contemporary and archival 16mm experimental films. 

There’s always something new to discover at QAGOMA!

Images © and courtesy QAGOMA 

QAGOMA is a valued partner of Must Do Brisbane.com

Image captions - top to bottom: 

Jemima Wyman, Australia/United States b.1977 / Aggregrate Icon (Kaleidoscopic Catchment) (detail) 2014 / Hand-cut digital photographs and archival tape / 205cm (diam.) / Purchased 2014. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation Grant / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Jemima Wyman

Christian Capurro, Australia b.1968 / Howells (enclasticine 515) 2020–21 / © Christian Capurro / Courtesy: The artist and Milani Gallery, Brisbane

Daniel Boyd, Kudjla/Gangalu people, Australia b.1982 / Untitled (HNDFWMIAFN) (detail) 2017 / Oil, charcoal and archival glue on polyester / Purchased 2017 with funds from anonymous donors through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery / © Daniel Boyd

Kate Bohunnis, Australia b.1990 / an active accumulation (tense) (installation view detail) 2020 / Latex, stainless steel / 350 x 100 x 1.2cm / © Kate Bohunnis / Image courtesy: The artist & STATIO

Production still from #11, Marey Moiré (detail) 1999 / Director: Joost Rekbeld / Image courtesy: LUX Moving Image