Brisbane is often referred to as the river city, but it’s not every day you get to explore a riverbed indoors…
From Iceland to OZ, Riverbed has made its debut in the southern hemisphere and is the highlight of a fascinating exhibition called Water, currently on at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. And after a summer of fire and drought, the theme couldn’t be more topical for us Queenslanders.
You could seriously spend hours exploring Riverbed, and why not when there are over 110 rocks in this room alone – but it’s not the only interactive work to feature as part of Water.
Look familiar? It should if you visited the gallery back in 2013. Heritage first featured at GOMA over 7 years ago, but this time ‘round you may notice something different.
When Cai first created this work, it had 99 animals. Though for the 2019/2020 exhibit, this number has been condensed to just 45 – with all animals still gathered around the same blue lake. And if the lake also looks familiar, it’s because Cai originally drew inspiration from our very backyard – the crystal-clear lakes of North Stradbroke Island!
While all works as part of this exhibit link back to the central theme of “water”, there are a few others that may get you thinking about what the correlation is. A great example of a not-so-obvious connection to water is The Fact of Matter… a room full of suspended gymnastic rings, which we later discovered reflects the challenge humanity faces from climate change and rising sea levels. Thought-provoking, isn’t it?
With 40 artists and over 100 works included in Water, there is plenty to check out, but one thing you can’t leave without trying is the delicious snowman dessert at the GOMA Bistro… be quick though, it’s available for only a limited time while this exhibition is on.
Thinking of checking it out? Purchase your tickets to GOMA’s Water here, prices start at $16 and it’s on until April 26, 2020.
