Yesterday 11 January I was pleased to go out with my grandson, Jordan. Our first stop was the Gallery of Modern Art which is a great contribution to the cultural landscape of Brisbane. We saw the exhibition "Falling Back to Earth", a very large exhibition by Cai Guo-Qiang (pronounced tsai gwo-chang). This is his first solo exhibition in Australia so Brisbane is very privileged and fortunate to have his work displayed here. We first looked at one room of the exhibition which had a very large eucalyptus tree on its side, partly suspended. It was removed from a development site and now as a dead tree, stripped of most of its leaves, the viewer can see close up the beauty of the destroyed tree, its many colours and textures. We can also think about the environment and the many similar trees that are destroyed and used to make the homes we live in. Children were encouraged to draw the tree and results were pinned to the wall.
In an adjacent gallery is a magnificent work showing 99 replica animals of many different species shown drinking from one large pond. Our guide told us the animals had been created from goat skins and plastic. They look very realistic. There are tigers, lions, hyenas, zebra, giraffes and many others. There are predators and prey, yet in this display they are together sharing water, symbolising a hope that the world may live in peace despite our differences. A drop of water falls from the ceiling periodically to break the surface of the pool. Our guide told us the room was supposed to be a place of quiet contemplation, however, this was not possible as there were very small children making a lot of noise. I thought they should have been banned so there might be the possibility for quiet contemplation. The other aspect that would be difficult for small children is that there is no real barrier between the animals and the public. There is a walkway around the animals but only sand separating them - such a temptation for small children.
We followed our guide to the gallery which housed the installation that gave this exhibition its title "Falling Back to Earth". Here were displayed 99 replica wolves, 1/3 the size of normal wolves, every one different, in a different pose. Our guide explained the wolves are racing to reach a glass wall and crashing into the wall, falling, with various degree of injury then getting up and doing it all over again. You can interpret this in whatever way you like e.g. hitting an obstacle on the way in life, but picking yourself up and trying again. Our guide said the gallery thought the wolves would frighten the children because of the savage expressions on their faces but quite the contrary. The children were very intrigued with them. It was a thought provoking exhibit. One of the best things about this whole exhibition was that we were permitted to take photographs.
Our guide told us that Cai Guo-Qiang was a renowned fireworks artist. Near the GoMA entrance a video was playing on a large screen showing several of the fireworks displays that he had made. They were dazzling, works of art, not just different coloured lights in the sky. He also had a work displayed in the Queensland Art Gallery and we went to see that before we had lunch at the Art Gallery cafe.
We then moved on to the Lyric Theatre, though a little early, to be there for the matinee performance of "The Rocky Horror Show". This was a fabulous musical which I had seen before so many years ago that I had forgotten most of it. The main role of Frank N Furter was played by Craig McLachlan and he gave a great performance. It is a timeless classic, Brad and Janet's car breaks down near a strange castle inhabited by even stranger "people". The audience thoroughly enjoyed the rendition of "The Time Warp", which was repeated in a fantastic finale. Jordan said it was "brilliant. That word pretty much sums up the whole day.
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