Water

(Hardback)

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Published as a creative response to and historical document of QAGOMA's 2019/20 blockbuster exhibition 'Water', this publication explores water in all its states, highlighting the precious resource through contemporary artworks from across the globe that range from immersive experiences to smaller-scale works. Artists and artworks include Olafur Eliasson's Riverbed 2014, a stream relocated to the ground floor of GOMA; Cai Guo-Qiang's Heritage 2013 in a smaller installation; William Forsythe's The Fact of the Matter 2009; Angela Tiatia's performance video Holding On 2015 as well as Judy Watson's reflections on the long cultural traditions of the Maiwar (Brisbane River). In addition to informative short texts on each of the artists featured, the publication includes an introductory text by the curator, Geraldine Kirrihi Barlow; Professor Peter Godfrey-Smith writing on water's role in evolution and the beginning of life on Earth; Professor Don Henry AM on the life-giving force of water; as well as excerpts from Alexis Wright's Carpentaria (2006) and her evocative article on effects of climate change originally published by the Guardian online in 2018. An indispensable guide to this major exhibition at GOMA this summer.

Author Bio

Geraldine Kirrihi Barlow, Curatorial Manager, International Art, QAGOMA and curator of the 'Water' exhibition who has formerly held positions at Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA), the Australian Centre of Contemporary Art, Melbourne and Heide Museum of Art. She was co-curator of 'Gerhard Richter: The Life of Images' (2017) for QAGOMA. Professor Peter Godfrey-Smith is the Sydney-based philosopher of biology and author of Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness (2016). Professor Don Henry AM, Melbourne Enterprise Professor of Environmentalism, Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, who has a long and distinguished career in environmental policy and research. Alexis Wright, award-winning Queensland-born Indigenous Australian novelist and land rights activist. Plus short texts on 32 individual artists and their works by QAGOMA curators.