International artist James Turrell will launch his major architectural light installation illuminating the façade of Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) at 7pm on Friday 20 April.

QAGOMA Director Chris Saines announced that the eastern and southern façades of the gallery would be completely transformed from dusk until midnight daily by the ambitious, much anticipated new light installation.

“I invite all of QAGOMA’s local and visiting audiences to join us from 7.00pm on Friday 20 April, to experience first-hand James Turrell’s artwork – an ever-evolving pattern of intensifying and diffusing coloured light,” Mr Saines said.

“The activation of Turrell’s artwork onsite is a unique milestone in the history of the Gallery of Modern Art, the Queensland Cultural Centre and Brisbane, and it’s a time for us all to celebrate.”

Mr Saines said that during the development of QAGOMA, lead architects Kerry Clare, Lindsay Clare and James Jones envisaged an artist-illuminated ‘white box’ on the gallery’s main pedestrian approaches.

“More than a decade on, Turrell’s architectural light installation realises the potential of GOMA’s white box façade, and completes a major aspect of the architects’ original design intention,” he said.

“This work will truly transform the way local, interstate and international audiences experience the building at night.”

Queensland Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch said the Queensland Government was proud to support the exciting project.

“The installation is a fantastic addition to GOMA and will further enhance Queensland’s reputation as a world-class cultural tourism destination,” Ms Enoch said.

For more than half a century, American artist James has worked with light and space to create immersive and moving artworks that play with viewers’ perceptions.

Turrell’s large-scale luminous installation for QAGOMA is a first for the artist and unique in terms of the many other light works he has created in and on buildings and within the landscape around the world.

The Queensland Government has contributed funds towards the development of this commission and GOMA has also received an  lead donation from Paul and Susan Taylor, along with contributions from The Neilson Foundation and donors to the 2017  Foundation Appeal to realise this addition to Brisbane’s cityscape.

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