QAGOMA is gearing up for another major exhibition, showcasing jaw-dropping installations and captivating small treasures that will serve as a reminder of the wonder hidden in everything around us.
Presented across six chapters from June 28 to October 6, Wonderstruck will include more than 100 works by international and Australian artists including Ah Xian, Nick Cave, Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Gordon Hookey, Madeleine Kelly, Yvonne Koolmatrie, Craig Koomeeta, Yayoi Kusama, Rosemary Laing, Ron Mueck, Patricia Piccinini, Brian Robinson, Sandra Selig, Gemma Smith, Yuken Teruya, Judy Watson, Louise Weaver, Jemima Wyman and more.
You can expect pieces that reframe familiar objects, like Tobias Putrih’s Connection (2004), which reconfigures humble cardboard boxes into a monumental arch, and Ai Weiwei’s display of Neolithic pottery subversively dipped in brightly coloured paint. Patricia Piccinini brings the same powerful emotion to human figures with The Observer (2010), a sculpture of a child perched precariously on a stack of chairs.
Other highlights include a participatory installation by Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan, In flight (Project: Another country), which invites attendees to create small sculptures from found materials and make them a part of the overall work. An expansive, six-panel mirror mosaic by Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian will draw visitors into its shifting reflections and vanishing points, and Yuken Teruya’s repurposed shopping bags will leave you in awe of his intricate hand-cut sculptures.
And, to celebrate having all these incredible artists and pieces under the same roof, on Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29, the Wonderstruck Festival invites audiences to a free, joy-filled event, with workshops, talks, storytelling and live music, like a performance by family-friendly duo Zindzi & the Zillionaires. From 11:15am on both days, you can join Zindzi and her fluffy friends, The Zillies, as they take you on an RnB, hip hop and rap adventure for the whole family to vibe to!
Interesting pop-up talks will bring you closer to the exhibitions curators and artists, inviting you to question what wonder means to you and how to find it in your regular surroundings. And, if you’re a hands-on attendee, there will be activities like the Tiny Treasures Workshop, in which you can make your own tiny treasure out of polymer clay with artists Pip & Pop, or let your face be the work of art thanks to Mimi Whimsical Face Painting.
See the full program for the festival here.