THE INSTITUTE OF MODERN ART LAUNCHES A SATELLITE SPACE ON THE GOLD COAST
IMA@SURFERS
Damiano Bertoli Continuous Moment: Le Desir . . . (Fat Anxiety), 2010. Courtesy Milani Gallery,
Brisbane, and Neon Parc, Melbourne.
The Institute of Modern Art (IMA) will launch its first Gold Coast pop-up gallery, IMA@Surfers, at Circle on Cavill, Surfers Paradise, on Saturday 16 July 2011 at 3pm. IMA will present four highly anticipated shows over a four-month duration, including shows by prominent artists Damiano Bertoli, Rodney Glick and Peter
Madden.
IMA Director, Robert Leonard, says, ‘The IMA have been looking to open a space on the Gold Coast for a while now. “There has been so much growth in the Coast’s contemporary-art scene of late, with the
surfacing of artist-run initiatives and emerging artists spaces like 19Karen and Rabbit + Cocoon, not to mention the proposed inclusive Gold Coast Cultural Precinct. It feels timely, we want to be part of the action”.
The first show, Continuous Moment: Anxiety Villa, will be by Melbourne artist, Damiano Bertoli. Bertoli’s surreal installation is based on his research into two presentations of a Picasso play, one in the 1940s and the other in the late 1960s.
The IMA are renowned nationally for their touring shows and the prospect of opening a space on the Gold Coast is exciting for the entire community. The grand opening of IMA@Surfers is free and the community is encouraged to attend the launch at Circle on Cavill, Saturday 16 July from 3–5pm. Damiano Bertoli and Reuben Keehan, Queensland Art Gallery curator, will precede the 3pm opening celebration by presenting a talk at 2.30pm.
Oh Please! Oh well if IMA fold as is suspected they can all go on endless vacation at the Gold Coast. Can we bear the influx of NZ artists! You see if you suggest something two decades ago it will EVENTUALLY come to pass! What a joke.
Robert, if you wanted “to be part of the action” it may have helped if you spent time familiarising yourself with the arts and culture scene on the Gold Coast first, and dropped your snobbery towards local artists.
For 4 or 5 years you’ve talked about wanting to have an IMA on the Gold Coast, finally here it is, and how underwhelming. A poorly promoted launch, a low-attendance artist talk here and there, and a few months of rushed exhibitions. You may have finally ticked that KPI, but this doesn’t mean IMA has successfully engaged with the community. The arts scene on the Gold Coast is stronger than you give it credit for, and if you somehow think the IMA model was unsuccessful because of the choice of the city, then maybe it wans’t a good idea to feed into the cliche that Warwick Cappa and a non-performance performance by Cathering Sagan would somehow impress the crowd. Show some effort please!