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 Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art recently opened its largest exhibition ever, and TIM MILFULL was there to check out 21ST CENTURY: ART IN THE FIRST DECADE.
Last Friday I headed along to the media preview of the latest exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art, and although 90 minutes only allowed me the chance to see a small portion of the art on show, I know I’ll be dropping back in more than once between now and the end of April to check out more than 200 works on display. This is the largest exhibition of contemporary art ever staged by a single Australian art institution, and showcases an impressive proportion of the gallery’s own collection. Covering a diverse range of artistic disciplines and platforms, and incorporating all of the gallery’s exhibition space, 21st Century: Art in the First Decade really is a credit to its talented team of curators and other dedicated staff.
After Premier Bligh officially opened the exhibition in the shadow of Pascale Marthine Tayou’s extraordinary sculpture of plastic bags, we took a stroll through the building. The foyer is dominated by one of the exhibition’s many interactive works: Carston Höller’s Test Site consists of two looping slides made of stainless steel and polycarbonate, and if you’re not too large, you can grab a rubber mat and swoop down from level three the ground. Elsewhere, The Swimming Pool, by Leandro Erlich allows patrons the illusion of sitting underwater as others look down upon them. Other exhibits range from the conventional to the controversial, with works from artists including Ai Weiwei, Bill Henson, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.
Eventually I had to tear myself away, but before I did so I chatted with curator Jose Da Silva, who is also an artist. Standing amid a bank of a few hundred small screens, we talked about his collaboration with a team of programmers to bring an unusual interpretation of Richard Dawkins’s concept of the meme. Situated around a couple of control screens that can be manipulated by the public, the larger work consists of smaller screens that show a myriad of those little videos most of us will confess to having laughed, gasped and gawped at on the Internet since its inception. Sometimes compelling, sometimes cringeworthy, always fascinating, this gathering of memes is an inspired collection of imagery that has been created, consumed and commemorated by all of us.
Jose also presided over the first of three impressive programmes that will be presented at the Australian Cinematheque. A New Tomorrow: Visions of the Future in Cinema presents a fantastic range of science fiction between December and February, from Fritz Lang’s restored print of Metropolis and Daniel Aronofsky’s The Fountain, to a number of Stanley Kubrik’s classics including A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey, and other audience favourites, this programme will give many their first chance to see these films they were meant to be viewed: on the big screen. Capped off with a live performance by Zan Lyons that remixes and reworks the genius of Bladerunner, this is only the first of three innovative cinema programmes on offer between now and April. More details soon...
There is a wide range of live performance, programmes and other exhibits at GoMA’s 21ST CENTURY: ART IN THE FIRST DECADE. For more information about what’s on offer, visit www.qag.qld.gov.au/21stcentury
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