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Artworks from the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre’s renowned art collection are temporarily removed from display, marking a first in the venue’s 29-year history, as they undergo expert restoration.

The art pieces, part of an effort to maintain and protect the Centre’s collection, include over 60 pieces by prominent First Nations and contemporary Australian artists, encompassing paintings, sculptures, and bespoke commissions. These pieces were assembled to decorate the building for its 1995 inauguration.

Among the collection are pivotal works from Papunya, a central location in the Northern Territory recognized as the cradle of the modern Aboriginal art movement starting in the late 1970s, and were initially commissioned for Expo ’88.

This foresighted strategy has resulted in the collection being a distinctive and invaluable cultural treasure for the BCEC, featuring pieces by renowned artists like John Olsen, Joe Furlonger, Gordon Bennett, and Judy Watson, displayed across the venue, including the specialized Plaza Gallery.

Favored by event planners and attendees in Brisbane, the Centre also opens its art collection to the public, reaffirming its dedication to exhibiting and promoting both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian art.

Over the coming months, art pieces and sculptures from the Centre’s collection will be treated by specialist conservators, with the first batch of 20 works already with top conservators in both Brisbane and Sydney. The more substantial pieces, some exceeding two meters in height, are being treated in Sydney to accommodate their large dimensions.

Recently, expert conservators used Japanese tissue paper on two particularly delicate items in the collection to protect them during transport for conservation.

Initiatives like the Plaza Gallery, a bespoke gallery space showcasing museum-quality paintings by pioneering Central Desert Indigenous artists, such as Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, have elevated the collection’s prominence. This reflects a growing public interest and recognition of the art from Australia’s First Peoples.

The Plaza Gallery gained international attention when it served as a private meeting area for world leaders during the G20 World Leaders Summit in 2014 and has since become a sought-after venue for First Nations organizations.

Although some pieces are temporarily not on display, the collection has recently been enriched by a new piece on the Plaza Level. In 2022, BCEC commissioned Jody Rallah, an emerging artist of Yuggera, Biri Gubba, and Warangu descent with ties to the Brisbane and Bowen areas, to create a piece for the Centre’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Rallah’s work, “Ingredients to Wealth” (2022-2023), captures the distinctive environmental and cultural essence of the Kurilpa site, the Centre’s location.

General Manager of the ASM Global managed BCEC, Kym Guesdon says that the quality and scale of the art collection sets BCEC apart from other meetings and events venues. “The Plaza Gallery is a highly valued space, particularly for international conferences, whose delegates are keen to engage with and learn about Australia’s Indigenous history and culture.”

The post Iconic Australian Art Collection Receives Expert Care at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre appeared first on Travel And Tour World.

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