Frontier Imaginaries

Megan Cope, Alice Creischer, DAAR, Juan Davila, Demian DinéYahzi, Bonita Ely, Ho Rui An, Gordon Hookey, Tshibumba Kanda Matulu, Karrabing Film Collective, Helmut Newton, Tom Nicholson, North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum, Rachel O’Reilly (w PA/LA/CE Architects Valle Medina and Benjamin Reynolds; and artist Rodrigo Hernandez), Elizabeth A. Povinelli, John Oxley Library, Ryan Presley, Shell Film Unit Australia, Wendelien van Oldenborgh, Virtual Songlines, Sawangwongse Yawnghwe

The Institute of Modern Art and QUT Art Museum present the launch edition of roaming art platform Frontier Imaginaries across two exhibitions: No Longer at Ease (IMA) and The Life of Lines (QUT Art Museum). Frontier Imaginaries is founded by QUT Alumnus Vivian Ziherl through the IMA Curatorial Fellowship, and realised with production manager Imara Limon. 

Launching on Saturday, May 14, 2016, Frontier Imaginaries brings together two Brisbane art venues connected by the Brisbane river: the Institute of Modern Art (IMA) in Fortitude Valley, and QUT Art Museum, Gardens Point. As a significant place in the history of the city, the river has been a crucial site for Indigenous people, a geographic and cultural boundary line, a space for recreation, a central transportation network, a prime real estate position, and setting for natural disaster. It is a site that also connects to the central concern of Frontier Imaginaries in researching the role of the frontier within the global era. 

Across the two venues, local and international artists address this theme through works ranging from an oyster shell installation to monumental history paintings and multi-channel video. Linking both galleries together will be a specially commissioned exhibition design by award-winning Brisbane architects Kevin O’Brien and Claire Humphreys. This design will include an “assembly point” conceived to host reading groups, community meetings, workshops, and artist talks.

No Longer at Ease at the IMA presents new commissions by Alice Creischer (Germany); Gordon Hookey (Waanyi/Australia); Rachel O’Reilly (Australia/Germany) with PA/LA/CE Architects Valle Medina and Benjamin Reynolds (Switzerland/UK) and artist Rodrigo Hernandez (Mexico); alongside works by Juan Davila (Chile/Australia); Demian DinéYahzi (Diné/United Sates of America), Bonita Ely (Australia); Tshibumba Kanda Matulu (Zaire/Congo); Ryan Presley (Marri Ngarr/Australia); and Wendelien van Oldenborgh (Netherlands). These will be joined with a curated selection of materials from the North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum that examine the Moreton Bay Oyster Company as a case at the intersection of environmental and labour histories, as well as a presentation of Virtual Meanjin by the Virtual Songlines project. Waanyi artist Gordon Hookey will present MURRILAND!, a major new painting series commissioned by Frontier Imaginaries which re-imagines the official history of Queensland from the personal perspective of the artist.

The Life of Lines at QUT Art Museum includes new commissions by Megan Cope (Qandamooka/Australia); Ho Rui An (Singapore); and Tom Nicholson (Australia); as well as works by DAAR (Palestine); the Karrabing Film Collective (Karrabing/Australia); Elizabeth A. Povinelli (United States); and Sawangwongse Yawnghwe (Myanmar/Canada). Melbourne artist Tom Nicholson has worked with 90 year-old Indonesian sculptor Edi Sunarso as well as a group of Hazara refugees to create Scenes from an archipelago, showing at QUT Art Museum. Singaporean artist Ho Rui An will present a lecture-performance at QAGOMA’s Australian Cinémathèque on May 11 as a prelude to the installation of his new multi-channel video work DASH at QUT Art Museum. Alongside these contemporary art practices will be a selection of archival real estate posters from the collection of the John Oxley Library. The film The Changing Face of Australia produced by the Shell Film Unit Australia in 1970, and a selection of photography documenting the installation of the Shell Oil Refinery in Geelong circa 1953–58 by legendary fashion photographer Helmut Newton will also be on display.

Frontier Imaginaries launches in 2016 with three major initiatives including its Brisbane launch, the Frontier Imaginaries online platform, and with the Jerusalem Show, a part of the 2016 Qalandiya International (the Palestinian Biennale).

Frontier Imaginaries Ed. No1 FRONTIER, featuring No Longer at Ease and The Life of Lines is curated by Vivian Ziherl as a co-commission of Institute of Modern Art and QUT Art Museum. Frontier Imaginaries is a multi-platform project established by Vivian Ziherl through the IMA Curatorial Fellowship. The IMA Curatorial Fellowship was made possible with the support of the Australia Council for the Arts. The launch edition of Frontier Imaginaries is realised with the support of Arts Queensland through the Arts Showcase program.

The IMA is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, and from the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council for the Arts, and through the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian Federal, State, and Territory Governments. The IMA is a member of Contemporary Art Organisations Australia (CAOs).