Art garden the latest piece in the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane art puzzle

A 15-metre floating art garden worth around $700,000 is the latest artwork as Queen’s Wharf Brisbane continues a major cash splash on art.

What would you expect to pay for some arty landscaping? Does $700,000 sound about right?

We understand that’s the value of a commission, which includes extensive engineering and fabrication work, to create a giant floating art garden for Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.

Acclaimed Queensland First Nations artist Tony Albert is the talent behind the work, an enormous 15-metre floating art garden depicting native plants that will add to the multimillion-dollar collection of public art earmarked for the transformational Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.

An artist’s impression of Tony Albert’s art commission for Queen's Wharf Brisbane – Tony Albert

Other artworks already announced include an eight-metre high, eight-tonne bronze sculpture by internationally renowned artist Lindy Lee, a super-sized mosaic wall mural of Australian lungfish by local artist Samuel Tupou, a hi-tech interactive digital light installation for the heritage listed The Printery Office by husband-and-wife team Alinta Krauth and Jason Nelson and Sheila, a larger-than-life five tonne goddess-like bronze sculpture by Justene Williams.

Titled Inhabitant, Tony Albert’s bold, botanical artworks of Australian flora, including Banksia, Desert Pea and Waratah, will be fabricated in marine-grade aluminium and raised four metres above the drive-through entrance to Brisbane’s new entertainment precinct.

A background greenery of live native plants will extend the full length of the William St underpass.

Tony Albert, the Brisbane-based contemporary artist behind the revamped Sydney Football Stadium’s high-profile blue seating artworks, said he was “honoured” his “epic in scale” garden was included in the iconic public art project.

Artist Tony Albert at Allianz Stadium in Sydney where he revamped the stadium seating artworks. Picture: Venues NSW/Gregg Porteous

He has also just finished a major work to be displayed soon at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha, a two-metre tall colourful aluminium vase of flowers inspired by the work of Margaret Preston.

It was forged at Perides Art Foundry which will also be working with the artist on his Queen’s Wharf Brisbane piece.

Tony Albert returned to live and work in Brisbane (after some years in Sydney) when the pandemic struck.

“Brisbane is part of my heart and I’m so grateful to be accepted and work and consult with the local community,” he said.

“As an artist these kinds of opportunities are unprecedented, especially in the way in which you can communicate with an audience.

“Where a city is quite barren of indigenous indicators in the same way as sculptures of women are with an over-representation of older white men, I can advocate for an indigenous voice in the public space. I wanted something bright and vibrant that people will identify with Australia and also the indigenous people, but there’s a deeper story to it. But at first glance it is a beautiful homage to native flora.

“I was going for iconic and to represent native flowers from across Australia, apart from one – the South African protea, which always gets mistaken for an Australian native. I love little playful interventions so trying to spot them will provide some fun.”

The Townsville-born aboriginal artist has built an impressive portfolio of prestigious commissions and accolades, including a sculpture to commemorate indigenous soldiers for the Sydney Hyde Park War Memorial and representations in the National Gallery of Australia and QAGOMA in Brisbane.

Lindy Lee’s Queen's Wharf Brisbane sculpture

Director of the Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane, Liz Nowell, a member of a Specialist Arts Advisory panel chaired by art dealer Philip Bacon, said the new commission would deliver “an important and powerful message.”

“Tony Albert is one of Australia’s foremost contemporary artists, and his international career began right here in Brisbane,” she said.

“It seems fitting that such a significant work, by an artist who is so embedded in this city should take pride of place in Queen’s Wharf Brisbane.

“Tony’s creation is visually arresting as an homage to the Australian landscape, but also as an evolution of his longstanding artistic interest in the cultural misrepresentation of Aboriginal people.

The Star Entertainment Group Interim CEO Geoff Hogg said domestic and international visitors, including for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, wanted “greater authentic cultural experiences.”

“Tony’s beautiful floral artwork will offer our guests a path to learn more of the rich culture, history and stories of our state’s first inhabitants,” he said.

All artworks will be in place for the development’s planned staged opening from the second half of 2023.

Originally published as Art garden the latest piece in the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane art puzzle