Human human

Ah Xian began creating busts from live casting in the early 1990s. In his early series, such as ‘China China’, hand-painted cobalt motifs float freely across milky porcelain figures. Gradually, he felt drawn to other ancient materials — bronze, lacquer and jade — and, notably, worked on an ambitious scale in the delicate and painstaking…

I can spin skies

Textiles have defined nationalities, facilitated cultural exchanges, and played a role in the rise and fall of empires, drawn from the QAGOMA Collection, the exhibition ‘I Can Spin Skies’ at the Queensland Art Gallery’s Henry and Amanda Bartlett Galleries (5 & 6) focuses on a breadth of textile practices — and art influenced by textile…

Meet our canine friends

In an array of breeds, shapes and sizes, from wild dogs, to the valuable working dog, and the unconditional love of the house dog, QAGOMA has it all — so we’ve selected just a few artworks on display — we’ll let you find even more when you next visit us, plus we’ve added some of…

Looking Out, Looking In: Exploring the Self-Portrait

The exhibition ‘Looking Out, Looking In: Exploring the Self-Portrait’ considers the complex and fascinating genre of the self-portrait — a distinct form of portraiture in which subject and artist are one, here we examine the enduring human interest in the self-image, revealing artistic tendencies towards both introspection and flamboyance. ‘Looking Out, Looking In’ is devised…

Colourful names: Terrible function

The vast plume carefully drawn in Rainbow Herbicides 2018 (illustrated) by Thu Van Tran compiles details of volcanic eruptions, man-made explosions and photographs of clouds taken by the artist herself. The air here is thick and dangerous and marked with six lines of brightly coloured spray paint, reminiscent of a rainbow. Thu Van Tran ‘Rainbow…

Chiharu Shiota: A question of perspective

Chiharu Shiota’s enveloping, ethereal creations give form to intangible concepts such as memory, dreams, anxiety and silence. ‘The Soul Trembles’ at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) until 3 October 2022, is the Japanese-born, Berlin-based artist’s largest and most comprehensive exhibition to date. The exhibition title ‘The Soul Trembles’ refers to the inexpressible stirrings of…