Sugar Spin: You, Me, Art & Everything

Brisbane’s shining jewel, the Gallery of Modern Art, celebrates its 10th birthday with the free exhibition, Sugar Spin: you, me, art and everything, from 3 December – 17 April.

Can it really be 10 years since GOMA opened its huge sliding glass doors to the public and impressed all who entered? QAGOMA Director, Chris Saines, says the milestone is a time to reflect on the gallery’s impact and to look to the future, adding: “It’s only fitting that in marking this milestone we offer visitors of all ages a multi-faceted, sensory and participatory art experience.”

Visitors to Sugar Spin can expect to see some exciting and thought-provoking works of art, including commissions such as Nervescape 2016 – a huge multi-coloured landscape of synthetic hair. It’s the first work in Australia by Icelandic-born, New York-based artist, Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir.

There will more than 250 artworks from the Gallery’s Collection, with other highlights including Céleste Boursier-Mougenot’s musical installation of live finches titled from here to ear (v.13) 2010, and Olafur Eliasson’s interactive installation of thousands of white Lego pieces.

There’ll also be the very popular Left/Ride Slide 2010 by Carsten Höller, which will spiral visitors from the top to the bottom of GOMA. American sculptor and performance artist, Nick Cave, has also gifted a piece called Heard which consists of brightly coloured sculptural horse costumes brought to life by dancers.

Memorable works from various Asia Pacific Triennial exhibitions will also feature in the curiously titled Sugar Spin, with QAGOMA’s Head of International Art, Geraldine Barlow, saying that the title is to “reflect the colour and energy of Queensland, Australia’s sugar state” and will “bring moments of joy together with dizziness and a deeper sense of unease.”

And especially for young ones, from Nov 19, GOMA’s Children’s Art Centre will present Mirror Mirror, a free and interactive project developed in collaboration with Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir.

Dates & events to note:

Dec 2 - GOMA Turns 10 Party- 7.30pm-10.30pm. Headlining the celebrations is the stunning 'Sugar Spin', featuring over 250 contemporary artworks exploring light, space, architecture and the senses.

Dec 3-4 - GOMA Turns 10 Opening Weekend - Enjoy a range of programs and special events celebrating GOMA Turns 10 and related exhibitions — including 'Sugar Spin: you, me, art and everything' and 'A World View: The Tim Fairfax Gift'. Hear from artists, be amazed by spectacular performances, and be a part of art through hands-on workshops and demonstrations.

Jan 18-22 -  GOMA Turns 10 Summer Festival - Celebrate with five full days of artist workshops, talks, performances, films and tours for kids, adults and everyone at the GOMA Turns 10 Summer Festival.
Other highlights include a bumper-size edition of Up Late across Friday and Saturday evenings, and an adults only workshop event ‘Arts & Craft After Dark’.

By Vicki Englund