There’s always one. The cool-kid, with effortless style, who knows the best places to go, the right art to buy, and the hippest drink to sip while doing it all.
The Institute of Modern Art in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane art scene’s too-cool-for-school equivalent of this annoying person we all know—and gallery terrible enfant—is turning 40 this year, and their perennial trendiness is still irrepressible.
As one of Australia’s first non-collecting galleries celebrating contemporary art in all its forms, IMA has been at the vanguard of all that is vibrant and thought provoking for the whole of its four decades.
Obviously, the crew behind this great Brisbane gallery know a thing or two about keeping up with the times, and they’ve done it by constantly securing the edgiest exhibitions and the most adventurous artists to adorn IMA’s walls.
To kick off their 40th year, last week they announced one of their best programs to date, full to the brim with some seriously inspiring, and exclusive, stuff.
So to celebrate the momentous occasion, we’ve pulled together our hit-list of this year’s exhibitions, to keep your calendar full—and credible, to boot.
Too Much World | Until 22 March
Exploring the impact of the digital age on our day-to-day lives, this six-work survey of Berlin-based artist Hito Steyerl’s video works is too good to miss, so hop to it.
Imaginary Accord | 11 April–11 July
Concurrent and complementary to ‘Too Much World’, Imaginary Accord is project exploring the notion of publicness and community in our technologically connected world.
Featuring contributions by Agency, Gerry Bibby with Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley, Zach Blas, Ruth Buchanan, Sean Dockray, Goldin+Senneby, Raqs Media Collective, Marysia Lewandowska, Ross Manning, and Hito Steyerl—with spatial and graphic design by Leaky Studio—the project will also include a series of lectures by artists, curators and writers titled ‘What Can Art Institutions Do?’.
The Green Room | From August
This year, the IMA will be launching a new programming initiative in August, The Green Room to provide a permanent space for spontaneous, impromptu encounters. The inaugural projects will be announced later in the year and open to the public from August.
Patrick Staff | 8 August–10 October
Following the offish forty-year celebration in July, the IMA will present a major new commission by emerging London and Los Angeles-based artist Patrick Staff, ‘The Foundation’, a collaboration with Chisenhale Gallery, London; Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver; and Spike Island, Bristol. The immersive video installation reveals the inner workings of the Tom of Finland Foundation and explores questions of community and artistic care.
Gordon Bennett & Slavs and Tatars | 24 October–20 December
2015 culminates in an exhibition of largely unseen works on paper by celebrated Australian artist Gordon Bennett (1955–2014). Despite their relatively small scale—the artist was known for his large-scale paintings—the works under consideration contain all of the rich layers of Western art history, Australian Aboriginal politics and art, and contemporary allegory that Bennett is respected for.
This show sits alongside the first solo exhibition in Australia of Eurasian collective Slavs and Tatars. Held at the same time as the Queensland Art Gallery ∣ Gallery of Modern Art’s 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, this exhibition is an uncompromising look at Australia and the legacy of European colonialism.
Want more of the best arty events in Brisbane? Search ‘art’ in The Directory.
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Image Credit: Slavs and Tatars via Sleek Mag