Botanica Live Nights

Overview

When life is operating as normal — or as close as possible to it — the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens gets a vibrant boost once a year. Thanks to outdoor contemporary art exhibition Botanica, the inner city spot comes alive with artworks, talks, installations and microprojections. In 2021, it has been doing just that since Friday, May 7, with the dazzling showcase due to end on Sunday, May 16.

The free event features nine luminous new outdoor pieces from artists Hiromi Tango, Simone Eisler, Georgie Pinn, Esem Projects, Charlotte Haywood, Jenna Lee, Kellie O'Dempsey, Paul Bai and Georgia Hillas — and they deliver quite the feast for your eyes. Glowing trees, a multicoloured kiosk and an audio-visual experience in a lagoon are just the beginning.

If you need any further motivation to drop by and scope it out, Botanica Live Nights wants to tempt you along from 5pm on Friday, May 14, which is when music, food trucks and a pop-up bar are also part of the program. You can take a guided tour, listen to poetry and meet the artists, too. And if you want to bring a picnic to eat while you see the Gardens in a whole new way, feel free.

Museum of our lost world (2021) by Simone Eisler

Top image: Superorganism (2021) by Esem Projects (E/P).