Mirage

Mirage is a sculpture located in the middle of the Brisbane Arcade, a shopping galleria which runs from Queen Street Mall through to Adelaide Street. At over 2.5 metres tall and made of stainless steel, the sculpture dominates the main thoroughfare through the arcade. It was designed by Swiss based Israeli sculptor Gidon Graetz.

This is another of the sculptures which was originally commissioned for World Expo 88. It was originally loaned for Expo by Mr. & Mrs. Morgan Adams Jr., of Los Angeles, U.S.A., in association with Galerie Lopes, Zurich, Switzerland. After the Expo it was purchased by Brisbane City Council and the Mayne Estate, and relocated here to Brisbane Arcade. World Expo 88 was host to one of the most prestigious international open-air sculpture collections in the world, with a total collection cost of some $25 million Australian dollars. Many of the works are now on display in various locations in many of Brisbane's popular parks, footpaths and near public buildings and arcades. You can even do a tourist walk which takes in some of these around Brisbane, if you so choose.


This is a striking work, and to me it looks like a large musical note, or the beginning of a tear drop welling from a crying eye. Although, like any mirage, viewed from a different vantage point, it is never as clear as first glance.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

Click Here for the Google Map Reference for this post.

Brisbane Arcade

Brisbane Arcade is located at 160 Queen Street Mall in the Central Business District. It houses stores which sell award-winning fashion, fine jewellery, bridal accessories, homewares and antiques, along with having some fantastic cafes. This happens to be all in the one elegant, heritage shopping galleria. It covers three levels: basement; ground; and balcony. It spans from the Mall through to Adelaide Street.

The Brisbane Arcade was built in 1923 for Dr James Mayne, and his sister Miss Mary Emelia Mayne, part of the infamous Mayne family. The site was previously occupied by the family home. The Arcade was designed by Richard Gailey (Junior), who is regarded as one of Queensland’s most prolific and important earlier architects. Despite the infamy and enormous wealth of their father, these children were quite philanthropic in donating back to Brisbane. The Arcade continues to be operated today by the Trustees of the estate of Dr James O’Neil Mayne and the estate of Miss Mary Emelia Mayne. The brother and sister were two principal benefactors of the Queensland University, enabling relocation to the St Lucia campus. Operating proceeds from Brisbane Arcade are for the direct benefit of the Medical School of the University.

Like many sights within Brisbane, with your dose of shopping you can also get a dose of history. In this case it is both unique and fascinating on both fronts. The shopping in this mall is upmarket, and most stores are incredibly well presented and sophisticated. The architecture within the mall is spectacular. The history is also enthralling. The Mayne family amassed incredible wealth, but the deathbed confessions of murder by their main patriarch, Patrick Mayne, brought into question the original source of the wealth. However, the children in their own rights did not deserve the disapproval and disdain they received due to the actions of their father.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

Click Here for the Google Map Reference for this post.