SCHOOL STUDENTS MAKE MARK AT NEW GALLERY OF MODERN ART

Published Thursday, 12 October, 2006 at 09:29 AM

Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Rod Welford

Nine high school students are being given the chance to make their own mark at Brisbane’s newest cultural landmark, the Gallery of Modern Art at South Bank.

Minister for Education, Training and the Arts, Rod Welford, said the students were working with one of Indonesia’s most exciting young artists on a giant cartoon mural for the new Gallery’s Park Entrance.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for these young artists to be involved in the historic opening of the new Gallery of Modern Art,” Mr Welford said.

“It’s a wonderful experience for them to be working with an established artist on the mural, which will be a key element of the upcoming 5th Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary of Art.

“The students from Cleveland, Woodridge and ShailerPark state high schools were chosen by their schools because of their artistic abilities and they are sure to get a lot out of working with visiting Indonesian artist Eko Nugroho.”

Eko Nugroho is one of the 37 artists, filmmakers, performers and two multi-artist projects in APT5, the opening exhibition at the new Gallery of Modern Art and the refurbished Queensland Art Gallery.

“The students and Eko have created a comic book of drawings inspired by the question facing young people all over the world, ‘What do you want?’” he said.

“They will expand these graphic elements and paint them on panels for a 6m x 5m mural in a prime position at GoMA’s Park Entrance.”

Eko Nugroho, 29, is a student at Yogyakarta’s Indonesian Art Institute where he has made a name as one of Indonesia’s emerging arts stars.

His works in APT5 include a dramatic 10m x 16m mural in the foyer of GoMA, the Park Entrance mural and several embroideries produced in collaboration with Indonesian machinists.

The new Gallery of Modern Art and APT5 both open to the public on 2 December.

The mural project is a partnership between the Queensland Art Gallery and the Department of Education, Training and the Arts.

Media contact: Marnie Stitz on 32371000 or 0419 734 985