QAGOMA’s 2024 program to feature Judy Watson, Iris van Herpen, APT11 and more

Iris van Herpen / Netherlands b.1984 / Hydrozoa dress, from the ‘Sensory Seas’ collection 2020 / Collection: Iris van Herpen / Photograph: David Uzochukwu / © David Uzochukwu / View full image

The 2024 program at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) will include a career survey of work by leading contemporary Australian artist Judy Watson, an immersive multidisciplinary blockbuster showcasing the innovative practice of Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, and APT11, the latest chapter in the Gallery’s flagship Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art exhibition series.

QAGOMA Director Chris Saines said the Gallery’s 2024 program would also include an exhibition of contemporary art by Pacific women, and highlights from QAGOMA’s Indigenous Australian art collection.

‘This summer, from 2 December 2023 to 28 April 2024, visitors will enter the woods with ‘Fairy Tales’, a large-scale exhibition exploring how these stories have captured our collective imagination for centuries and continue to permeate contemporary culture through art, design and filmmaking,’ Mr Saines said.

‘Across three distinct chapters and encompassing sculpture, installation, painting, photography, printmaking, papercuts, animation, video art, augmented reality, film, props and costumes, ‘Fairy Tales’ underscores the ability of these timeless narratives to entrance and delight and disconcert.

‘From 23 March to 11 August 2024, ‘mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson’ will celebrate the career of the renowned Queensland artist. Presented at QAG, the comprehensive survey — its title meaning “tomorrow the tree grows stronger” — highlights Watson’s incisive unpacking of colonial, feminist and ecological concerns, which is underpinned by a deep connection to her family’s Waanyi Country in northern Queensland. It will present four decades of her art practice across painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation and video.

‘Following its season in Paris, QAGOMA is thrilled to be the exclusive Australian venue for ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’ from 29 June to 7 October 2024, and tickets to the exhibition are now on sale.

‘Iris van Herpen is one of the most avant-garde figures of her generation and ‘Sculpting the Senses’, organised by Musée des Arts Décoratifs, offers a sensory exploration of the pioneering Dutch designer’s multidisciplinary practice. It’s a creative universe that merges fashion, contemporary art, design and science,’ Mr Saines said.

‘Sculpting the Senses’ curator Cloé Pitiot said the exhibition incorporated elements from the micro to the macro and questioned the body’s place in space, its relationship to clothing and the environment, and its future in a rapidly changing world.

‘Set in direct dialogue with a selection of contemporary works of art, installations, videos, photographs and objects from natural history, the exhibition brings together more than 100 garments created by van Herpen, seeking new forms for femininity and challenging our notions of haute couture. It will include a recreation of van Herpen’s Amsterdam studio and a space dedicated to her fashion shows, accompanied by a sound work by Dutch artist Salvador Breed,’ Ms Pitiot said.

From 2 March to 8 September 2024 at GOMA, the exhibition ‘Seeds and Sovereignty’ will explore the deep knowledge and relationships Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples have developed with Country, especially its plants, over millennia through artworks from QAGOMA’s Indigenous Australian art collection. Continuing at GOMA until 8 September, ‘sis: Pacific Art 1980–2023’ draws on QAGOMA’s extensive collection of contemporary art from the Pacific and its diasporas. Exploring issues of representation, gender, sovereignty and power, ‘sis’ includes work by leading figures from the region such as Lisa Reihana, Yuki Kihara and Latai Taumoepeau.

QAGOMA’s 2024 program culminates with the opening of ‘The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (APT11) across both QAG and GOMA from 30 November 2024 until 27 April 2025. Including work by 70 artists and collectives from across Australia, Asia and the Pacific, APT11 will feature artists and makers not previously seen in Australia, as well as co-curated projects developed in-country, which investigate local art forms and cultural contexts. Building on three decades of engagement in the region, the Asia Pacific Triennial is developed by a team of QAGOMA curators and will be accompanied by events and live performances, a cinema program, community engagement initiatives and children’s projects.

Children’s Art Centre programs for 2024 will include ‘Natalya Hughes: The Castle of Tarragindi’ and ‘Jakkai Siributr: The Legend of the Rainbow Stag’, while screenings at GOMA’s Australian Cinémathèque include ‘Fairy Tales: Truth, Power and Enchantment’, ‘The Magic of Monty Python’, ‘For the Love of it: A Curator’s Pick’, ‘Technicolor Dreams and Transcendent Reality: The Films of Powell & Pressburger’ and ‘Mad Science’.

Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said the QAGOMA 2024 program will present compelling local stories, together with stories from across the Asia-Pacific and around the world, promising more extraordinary visual arts and design experiences for locals and visitors to the state.

‘These exciting exhibitions will celebrate the rich artistic talent of our state, including through the works of globally renowned First Nations artist Judy Watson,' Minister Enoch said.

'From the extraordinary stories of 'Fairy Tales' to the cutting-edge designs of Iris van Herpen, and the always innovative Asia Pacific Triennial, visitors to QAGOMA and its regional touring exhibitions will be delighted and inspired by its 2024 program.

'The Queensland Government continues to support QAGOMA to secure globally significant art experiences for Queenslanders and visitors to the state, delivering on key priorities of the Creative Together 2020–2030 roadmap, including supporting a strong and sustainable sector, elevating First Nations arts and activating places and spaces.

'As one of Queensland’s leading cultural institutions, QAGOMA plays an important role in stimulating cultural tourism and showcasing Queensland to the world ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games when our arts and cultures will be showcased on the global stage,' Minister Enoch said.

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said QAGOMA's awe-inspiring exhibitions were an important contributor to Brisbane's visitor economy.

'When visitors come to Brisbane to experience world-class arts and culture at QAGOMA, they also support accommodation and hospitality providers and the region's tourism operators,' Mr Hinchliffe said.

'QAGOMA's 2024 program is shaping up as another big year for sharing Brisbane's great lifestyle with domestic and international visitors.

'The 'Fairy Tales' exhibition alone is predicted to bring an extra 4000 visitors to Brisbane, contributing nearly $10 million to our visitor economy and supporting Queensland jobs.'

QAGOMA will also continue touring three Collection-focused exhibitions to regional Queensland in 2024, including ‘Asia Pacific Contemporary: Three Decades of APT’, ‘Asia Pacific Video’ and ‘I, Object on Tour’, whichcomprises Indigenous Australian artworks. For more information, visit www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/touring

‘Fairy Tales’, ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’ and ‘The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (APT11) are supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland, featuring on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar, and Major Partners Shayher Group and Urban Art Projects. ‘mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson’ is supported by Major Partner Gadens.

‘The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (APT11) is made possible with the support of Founding Supporter the Queensland Government, and Principal Partner Creative Australia.