From Fairy Tales to Iris van Herpen and APT11: GOMA and Queensland Art Gallery's 2024 Program Is Here

What do a twisted woodland, enchanted big-screen stories, the best new art that the Asia-Pacific region has to offer, movies about mad science, the work of Queensland artist Judy Watson, the fashion designs of Iris van Herpen, and an exploration of the importance of plants to Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples all have in common — and with Brisbane, too? They're each featured on the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art's big 2024 program. GOMA's tribute to fairy tales was announced in 2022, and arrives before 2023 is out; however, as the newly announced full lineup for next year shows, it's just one of many reasons to visit South Brisbane — and, if you're making the trip from elsewhere in Australia, Brisbane in general — before 2025 rolls around.

Running from Saturday, December 2, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024, Fairy Tales is quite the blockbuster, and comes with movie program Fairy Tales: Truth, Power and Enchantment at Australian Cinémathèque to match. The 100-plus-piece showcase and its corresponding flicks will focus stories that we all lapped up as kids, telling us about otherworldly critters, wishes, spells and more.

From venturing into the woods to peering through the looking glass, and also pondering what happily ever after means — while featuring works by Henrique Oliveira, Patricia Piccinini, Jana Sterbak, Kiki Smith, Abdul Abdullah and Ron Mueck along the way, plus a costume worn by David Bowie in all-time classic Labyrinth, pieces from Where the Wild Things Are as both a book and a movie, and threads from 2012's Mirror Mirror by Eiko Ishioka, and more — this showcase is primed to entrance.

Henrique Oliveira / Brazil b.1973 / Baitogogo 2013 / Palais de Tokyo, Paris / Plywood and tree branches / 6740 x 1179 x 2076cm / Courtesy SAM Art Projects, Galerie GP&N Vallois, Galeria Millan / © Henrique Oliveira / Photograph: André Morin / This work is indicative of a new commission by Henrique Oliveira for the exhibition 'Fairy Tales' at QAGOMA.

Set to arrive while Fairy Tales is still working its magic are both Seeds and Sovereignty and mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson. The first will run from Saturday, March 2–Sunday, September 8, 2024 also at GOMA, and feature artworks about not only Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander peoples bond with plants, but with Country. The second will take over Queensland Art Gallery to celebrate the Queensland artist's career, spanning four decades and highlighting her emphasis on Waanyi Country in northern Queensland, where her family is from.

Also on display at GOMA until Sunday, September 8, 2024: sis: Pacific Art 1980–2023, which centres on contemporary pieces from the titular region — with Lisa Reihana, Yuki Kihara and Latai Taumoepeau among the artists with works on display.

Iris van Herpen / Netherlands b.1984 / Hydrozoa dress, from the 'Sensory Seas' collection 2020 / Collection: Iris van Herpen / Photograph: David Uzochukwu / © David Uzochukwu.

Midyear, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses will head to GOMA as well, in an Australian exclusive for the massive exhibition about the Dutch fashion designer, as organised by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. It visits Down Under after displaying in Paris.

"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," said curator Cloé Pitiot.

"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," added QAGOMA Director Chris Saines.

Mit Jai Inn / Thailand b.1960 / Planes (Electric) (detail) 2019 / Oil on canvas / Dimensions variable / Installation view, 'Encounters', Art Basel Hong Kong, 2019 / Image courtesy: The artist and Silverlens, Manila & New York / © Mit Jai Inn.

Then, come Saturday, 30 November 2024–Sunday, April 27, 2025, it'll be time for The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (aka APT11) at both GOMA and Queensland Art Gallery. While it's too early for specifics, artists and collectives hailing from Australia, Asia and the Pacific will have pieces on display — and a cinema lineup, events, live performances and the like will also be on the agenda.

As well as its fairy tale flicks, the Australian Cinémathèque has plenty in store. The Magic of Monty Python will celebrate the obvious for two January weeks, then the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger — so The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus, for instance — will be in the spotlight from February–April. When May hits, those movies about mad science will start rolling until late June, such as The Bride of Frankenstein and The City of Lost Children.

Production still from The Bride of Frankenstein 1935 / Director: James Whale / Image courtesy: Universal Pictures.

QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY AND GALLERY OF MODERN ART 2024 PROGRAM:

GOMA and Queensland Art Gallery:
Saturday, December 2, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 — Fairy Tales at GOMA
Saturday, March 2–Sunday, September 8, 2024 — Seeds and Sovereignty at GOMA
Saturday, March 23–Sunday, August 11, 2024 — mudunama kundana wandaraba jarribirri: Judy Watson at Queensland Art Gallery
Saturday, June 29–Monday, October 7, 2024 — Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses at GOMA
Until Sunday, September 8, 2024 — sis: Pacific Art 1980–2023 at GOMA
Saturday, 30 November 2024–Sunday, April 27, 2025 — The 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT11) at GOMA and Queensland Art Gallery

Australian Cinémathèque:
Saturday, December 2, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024 — Fairy Tales: Truth, Power and Enchantment
Saturday, January 13–Saturday, January 27, 2024 — The Magic of Monty Python
Wednesday, January 31–Wednesday December 11, 2024 — For the Love of It: A Curator's Pick
Saturday, February 3–Saturday, April 27, 2024 — Technicolor Dreams and Transcendent Reality: The Films of Powell & Pressburger 
Friday, May 3–Sunday, June 23, 2024 — Mad Science

For more information about the Gallery of Modern Art and Queensland Art Gallery's 2024 exhibitions, plus Australian Cinémathèque's 2024 lineup — all of which will occur at Stanley Place, South Brisbane — visit the venue's website.

Top image: Still from 'Cinderella' (1922) dir. Lotte Reiniger, courtesy British Film Institute.