Adelaide Street Bronze Pavement Inlays

In 1996 there appears to have been a lot of public artwork by artist Brona Keenan installed around Brisbane City. Not only did she do all the artwork on the bronze inlays which form the Albert Street Literary Trail, she also created a number of pieces located in Adelaide Street, between George and Albert Streets. These are all ostensibly themed around the Brisbane Bus network. The titles include: An Angel at my Bus Stop; Our Neighbour's Cat; Still Life with Reclining Bus Ticket; and When I was Six. Although I have been unable to find much about Brona, I do know that aside from public artwork she has also illustrated children's books.

All of these pieces are bronze and brass inlays, with a variety of recollections of bus travel as a child. The wording on Our Neighbours Cat is "Our neighbour's cat often tried to catch the bus with her to work but he never had the right fare." Anyone who has travelled by bus can also sympathise with the phrase "When I was Six I accidently discovered that eating my bus ticket was a great way to start a conversation with the bus inspector." I tried that once when I was in my teens, but it didn't quite cut it so I was thrown off the bus!

These are more of the artistic gems dotted around Brisbane City. After being in place for over 10 years, they are still remarkably resilient. The inlays are doubled up, that is, you will find examples of the same piece on both sides of the street. That just means that you have double the opportunity to enjoy them! If you're a public transport user hopefully you get the chance to see them, remembering them when you are stuck in traffic.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Indigenous Art Under the Story Bridge

Most mornings when I walk into work I park in a suburb of Brisbane known as New Farm. This walk involves going under the Story Bridge at its northern end, almost directly under the roadway and high on the cliff side. Rather than dull grey or off white on the walls, aboriginal style artwork has been painted over a simulated brickwork on much of the area directly under the bridge.

I have been unable to determine who or why did this work. I can only assume it may have been part of an community artwork scheme, but then again it may have been a fully commissioned work. It is quite extensive, with a large area which has been sealed off fully painted. Animals represented include snakes, turtles, lizards and fish in vivid colours. There doesn't appear to be any indication of the artist or artists at the actual site.

My take on this is that the Brisbane River is said to have flown for over 400 million years. Indigenous Australians have been here for at least 40,000 years, and were settled in the Brisbane region long before European Settlers left their marks. The artwork represented here appears to be an obvious recognition of the river, its makeup, and of the animals that originally inhabited the area. If you are exploring the city and walk over the Story Bridge, don't forget to have a sneak peak under it at another of Brisbane's hidden delights.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)

The Queensland Art Gallery - Gallery of Modern Art, or GOMA as its known to the locals, is a wonderful new gallery located in South Brisbane within the Cultural Centre precinct of South Bank. It is the largest gallery of modern and contemporary art in Australia. Opening hours are from 10:00am to - 5:00pm Monday to Friday, with the weekend opening time extended to 9:00am. Admission is free, except for special exhibitions and screenings. It was opened on the 2nd December, 2006.

The entrance foyer is dominated by this huge black and white work by Eko Nugroho. The prime reason for having an art gallery is to exhibit Art, however, aside from the many public gallery areas, there are also cinemas, a library, a number of cafes, and a gallery store. Multi-media and new technology is used as both an adjunct to certain pieces, and also as art in itself. They also have guest speakers and guided tours of the collections. A major exhibition, the Asia–Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art was the prime opening exhibition. At present, the main gallery is being refurbished for a new exhibition. Details of upcoming and current events can be found on the gallery website.


Today we were still able to wander through the existing exhibitions. There are some things which take my eye, and others that leave me wondering if a blank canvas with a small splotch of paint really is art. I enjoyed the indigenous aboriginal collection. One problem I have with these galleries is how hard it is to take your kids, and not let them touch the artworks, particularly things like carved stonework. Of course they want to explore! However, in this instance my boys were very well behaved.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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