Brisbane has the Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Sydney has the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Melbourne has, well, a lot of galleries, and now, the Gold Coast can come to the cultural arty party with HOTA Gallery. Spanning six glorious levels, HOTA Gallery is Australia’s largest public gallery outside of a capital city – hooray for us! The $60.5-million venue contains 2000 square metres of AAA-rated, international standard exhibition space, a dedicated Children’s Gallery, a soon-to-open rooftop bar, a fine dining restaurant and will be home to the $32-million City Collection, which consists of more than 4400 artworks. The eye-catching building itself is designed by award-winning Melbourne-based architects ARM and is inspired by William Robinson’s painting entitled The Rainforest.
Set to open with a bang, the Gallery’s inaugural program includes a major exhibition entitled SOLID GOLD: Artists from Paradise (May 8 to July 4, 2021). An impressive 19 emerging and established Australian artists and collectives, each with a personal connection to the Gold Coast region, have created new works exploring the relationship between people and place, the human impact on the natural world, as well as the urban environment and beauty of the landscape. SOLID GOLD showcases work from artists Hiromi Tango, Michael Candy, Abbey McCulloch, Samuel Leighton-Dore, Elliot Bastianon, CJ Anderson and Lisa Sorbie Martin, to name a few. SOLID GOLD will be followed later in the year by Lyrical Landscapes – The Art of William Robinson, and in November The Gallery will present Contemporary Masters, which features iconic works from legendary contemporary artists such as Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons.
Art isn’t just confined to within the four walls – acclaimed Queensland Waanyi artist Judy Watson and Sri-Lankan born, Sydney-based artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran have created two major outdoor artworks. Responding to the history of the site and local Indigenous people, Brisbane-based artist Judy Watson has created a multi-part sculptural garden work, which is intended as a place of gathering, education, knowledge, and ceremony for visitors. For his largest piece to date, contemporary artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran has created a monumental six-metre sculpture welcoming visitors to the entrance of the Gallery.
Keen to check it out? HOTA has just released a new round of tickets for opening weekend but you’d better be quick! Missed out? Fret not, there is still plenty to see and do throughout the weekend including a live music showcase on The Outdoor Stage. Jump over to the HOTA website for all of the happenings.
Image one: Aaron Chapman,The Towers Project(2021). SOLID GOLD: Artists from Paradise, HOTA Gallery. Image courtesy the artist.
Image two: Pictured L-R:Gordon Hookey,Murriland!#12015-2017; Tony AlbertMid Century Modern(series)2016; Ben QuiltyCook after Baghad2012; Ben QuiltySarah Island, Tasmania2015;Richard BellThe (Day) Dreamers2004; NellLet There Be Robe2012.Collection, HOTAGallery. Photo by Paul Harris Photography.
Image three: Brett Boardman
Image four: Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran
