The Queensland College of Art will throw open its South Bank studios this month, as part of the inaugural Brisbane Art Design Festival (BAD).
Students and faculty will also showcase work across town as part of the festival, which includes exhibitions, performances, talks, art tours, workshops and open studios.
Art in the gardens
Queensland College of Art doctoral candidates Christine Ko and Paula Payne have spent the past week installing large-scale works in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens as part of the Botanica exhibition, which kicks off on 10 May.
As part of the BAD Festival, the free open-air exhibition will showcase a series of stunning installations within Queensland’s premier heritage garden.
Christine Ko’s work, Glasshouses, examines the ideas of difference, other-ness, exoticisation and the role these play in contemporary Australian society.
Reflections of the surrounding colonial landscape are overlaid onto the foreign landscapes printed within, creating a hybrid image that represents
Australia’s multicultural identity.
“Exhibiting at an event like Botanica is a fantastic opportunity to engage all kinds of people,” she said.
“I love the fact that people can just stumble on the work as they walk through the gardens, I find it more exciting than showing my work at a gallery.”
Paula Payne is unveiling her site-specific work, Time and Tide, which is designed to make viewers consider the impact of climate change and rising waters.
She said the chance to exhibit at Botanica was one of the many advantages to studying at the QCA.
“You get great opportunities here, and it’s one of the main reasons I returned to university after spending more than 17 years as a teacher,” she said.
“I’m very excited to join the lineup at Botanica – there are so many great artists represented, and it’s wonderful to work with the natural environment.”
Art for everyone
The Queensland College of Art will open its studios at South Bank for a series of free workshops on the 11 and 18 May from 9am – midday.
Aspiring artists can try their hand at everything from weaving to printmaking, photography and drawing.
There will also be film screenings, exhibitions, artist talks and a pop-up store selling creations by the Jewellery and Small Objects students.
For more information, visit the Brisbane Art Design Festival website.