Make Visible exhibition, Outdoor Gallery, Ann Street, Brisbane City. Featuring Dreaming (2021) artwork by Kane Brunjes.

Brisbane City Council's Outdoor Gallery transforms Brisbane's laneways, city streets and car parks into imaginative, curious, and engaging spaces. Comprising of light boxes, banners, vitrines, and evening projections, the Outdoor Gallery displays art outside in city streets, instead of inside on gallery walls. 2023 marks 10 years of the Outdoor Gallery program.

Share your experience of the Outdoor Gallery exhibitions and public programs on social media using #BNEPublicArt.

'Make Visible'

From Monday 30 October 2023 to Sunday 14 April 2024, explore Council's Make Visible exhibition throughout the Outdoor Gallery. Make Visible, curated by Sarah Winter of Studio Winter, makes the often-hidden narratives of our city visible by looking at our relationships with the climate, each other, and the urban environment through the eyes of a group of dynamic and unlikely collaborators from our community.

The exhibition, and accompanying activations and public program, celebrate the intricate, delicate and interconnected layers of the city we love by revealing the 'secret' qualities of Brisbane through community-engaged content and storytelling.

"The magic of a city is its people, in its buildings, in its art, its vibrant city life, its climate, its plants and its stories. This exhibition celebrates the unique qualities of Brisbane through the eyes of artists, designers, researchers, small businesses, photographers, fashion designers and local community members. It creates opportunities for people to see their city again through the eyes of another and witness the invisible elements that they may not have seen before.

We have a unique identity in Brisbane, and our environment and climate play a big role in that. We are often outside, in nature, engaging with each other and the urban space in a dynamic way. It influences our architecture, the clothes we wear, what we eat, how and where we socialise, and the art that we make."

Sarah Winter, Studio Winter

View our map to help navigate your way around our Outdoor Gallery.

Artist: Jason Starr, Darcy Starr

ARTWORKportraits of a city (2023)
LOCATION: fish lane, south brisbane
 

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The identity of a place is forged by the environment and the people. In every city, there are people who advocate for change, create art, define identity, and build communities. This portrait series seeks to capture the essence of a small handful of people who have had a big impact.

The portraits featured (from left to right) are Erika Jayne Goldsmith, Peter Garland, Emma-Kate Rose, Kevin O'Brien, Nadine Chemali and Matt Hsu.

Jason Starr of Darcy Starr is a Brisbane-based commercial photographer. Through a process of collaboration and discussion, Jason's portraits aim to reveal and intrigue, asking the viewer to engage with curiousity and understanding and allowing the subject to express a facet of their story that they want to tell.

This artwork is one of the unlikely collaborations brought together as part of this exhibition.
 

Artists: Made by community

ARTWORK: city sunprints tapestry (2023)
LOCATION: edison lane, Brisbane city
 

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On average, Brisbane has 300 days of sunshine per year. Our relationship with the outside environment shapes the identity of the city and the people who call it home. These artworks were created using a 170-year-old photographic printing process called 'cyanotype' which uses the sun to creatae a reactions on primed paper and fabrics. These artworks, that have been stitched together, were created by community members at a workshop run by Studio Winter, in partnership with Council, State Library of Queensland and the Asia Pacific Architecture Festival in June 2023. The community members worked with Queensland plant specimens, as well as architectural prints and photos from the John Oxley collection to create these works of art.

The artists for this artwork were Catherine Howie, Karen Scott, Paul Violett, Fiona Robertson, Tallulah Bowie, Vera Magazzeni, Caitlin Masters, Jason Harding, Bud Brannigan, Deborah Ralston, and Melissa Hayes.

Artist: Un_Calculated with Bee One Third

ARTWORK: bee frequencies (2023)
LOCATION: hutton lane, brisbane city

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What we see can be created by what we hear. Using field recordings of bees from Bee One Third hives in Roma Street Parkland, this data visualisation series is generated by the sonic frequencies of bees as they make honey. Inspired by the movement of the swarm and the colours of the native grevillea, this artwork brings us closer to the unseen world of bee frequencies.

Un_Calculated, also known as Rewa Wright and Simon Howden, experiments with abstract form, pixelated light and fuzzy logic to go beyond what we already know. What other worlds can we uncover if we open our minds to the unseen?

This artwork is one of the unlikely collaborations brought together as part of this exhibition.
 

Artist: Kate O'Sullivan with Urban Valley Mushrooms

ARTWORK: canopy (2023)
LOCATION: giffin lane, brisbane city
 

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Making the micro 'macro', this photograph urges you to look closer - to reveal the wonder of the overlooked and often unseen. The mushrooms at this scale mimic the overstory that creates a canopy underneath where people can walk or sit. The ascending fruiting forms also mirror that of a cityscape and the buildings towering overhead.

The collaboration was with Urban Valley Mushrooms in Fortitude Valley.

Kate O'Sullivan is a Brisbane-based filmmaker and photographer drawn to stories that reveal magic in the everyday and champion connectedness in the face of the void.

This artwork is one of the unlikely collaborations brought together as part of this exhibition.
 

Artist: Edith Rewa Barrett

ARTWORKgrowing with us (2023)
LOCATION: eagle lane, brisbane city

 

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Growing with us by Edith Rewa Barrett is an ode to native plants in this city growing with us. Elaeocarpus Grandis canopies and firewheel tree flowers dancing above us, parkland Themeda grasses wafting against our legs and the humble neighbourhood grevillea softening edges and offering us moments of beauty and respite.

Edith Rewa Barrett is an Australian illustrator and textile designer. Her work is grounded in celebrating the diversity of Australia's natural environments - entwining the worlds of traditional botany with contemporary art and design spaces, whilst exhibiting native plantscapes that are underrepresented.

Artist: Kate O'Sullivan with Five Mile Radius

ARTWORKwaste not, want not (2023)
LOCATION: irish lane, brisbane city (see note under 'read more')

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Works are currently occurring at this location and artwork visibility may be impacted.

Five Mile Radius is a research, design and manufacturing studio exploring a future based on natural and recycled construction materials. They work with low carbon, bio-based materials such as timbers, earth and stone, as well as construction waste and salvaged materials. Both their architecture and product work aims to limit the extraction of non-renewable resources, while ensuring we consider the life cycle of each material we use. This artwork, captured by Kate O'Sullivan, shows the waste product from the workshop and the terrazzo table created with this recycled material.

Kate O'Sullivan is a Brisbane-based filmmaker and photographer drawn to stories that reveal magic in the everyday and champion connectedness in the face of the void.

This artwork is one of the unlikely collaborations brought together as part of this exhibition.
 

Artist: Made by community

ARTWORKcity sunprints (2023, series)
LOCATION: king george square car park, brisbane city
 

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On average, Brisbane has 300 days of sunshine per year. Our relationship with the outside environment shapes the identity of the city and the people who call it home. These artworks were created using a 170-year-old photographic printing process called 'cyanotype' which uses the sun to creatae a reactions on primed paper and fabrics. These artworks, that have been stitched together, were created by community members at a workshop run by Studio Winter, in partnership with Council, State Library of Queensland and the Asia Pacific Architecture Festival in June 2023. The community members worked with Queensland plant specimens, as well as architectural prints and photos from the John Oxley collection to create these works of art.

The artists for this artwork were Catherine Howie, Karen Scott, Paul Violett, Fiona Robertson, Tallulah Bowie, Caitlin Masters, Deborah Ralston, and Melissa Hayes.

Artist: BULLEY BULLEY with Urban Valley Mushrooms

ARTWORKcultivar (2023)
LOCATION: edward street vitrines, brisbane city

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Cultivar is a kinetic garment sculpture that takes inspiration from the mesmerising growth and reaching spread of mycelium through substrate, and the beautiful sculptural forms of oyster mushrooms grown by Urban Valley Mushrooms. Designed to be seen in motion, whether on or off the body, this work is evocative of the imperceptibly incessant growth of mushrooms, but also alludes to the mobile, adaptive and resilient creative communities in our city.

BULLEY BULLEY is a fashion label run by sisters Bianca and Kiara Bulley. As designers, they have a fascination with fashion, wearing stories and history, and how that can be evident in clothing, textiles and the design processes. They enjoy playing with what fashion is, can be, and the ideas that come out of experimenting together.

This artwork is one of the unlikely collaborations brought together as part of this exhibition.
 

Artist: Jen Seevinck

ARTWORKriver unseen (2023)
LOCATION: edward street vitrines, brisbane city
 

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River Unseen evokes the sparkling movement of light on the water, bringing this into the city street as a way to reconnect the pedestrian with the river city. This work explores the movement of the water and of people - waters that ebb, flow and ripple with the tides and winds. These are rhythmic movements which we can also see in the commuting patterns of people entering and exiting the city at the start and end of every work day - flowing into the city for work in the mornings and out again in the afternoons. The tidal movements of river, people and the breath of the city are indelibly linked.

Jen Seevinck teaches at the School of Design, conducts research as a chief investigator at the QUT Design Lab and is a leader in the QUT More-than-Human Futures group. She is internationally recognised for her research, creative design practice and for pioneering new understandings of audience experience with computer-based systems.

Artist: Kane Brunjes

ARTWORKdreaming (2021)
LOCATION: ann street, brisbane city
 

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When artist Kane Brunjes reflects on the words 'dream' or 'dreaming', he thinks of stars and how bright and exhilarating they are. Following this, he considers what self-determination means to him and how important this will be in his future. The oval shapes, seen in this artwork, Dreaming, represent neighbouring Nations and Family groups, with the white and blue lines connecting them throughout. With this, the artist highlights the strong relationships between Country and People, and how the connection and support between Nations and Families exist now and into the future.

Kane is a Gunggari, Gubbi Gubbi man practicing in both public and gallery realms. Through his art practice, he aims to solidify and represent a visual portrayal of how he views and reacts to the environment surrounding him with consideration to history and story. Now working with Birrunga Gallery, he continues to develop these core foundations with a guided lens of expertise.

Artist: Michelle Brown

ARTWORKtropical anxiety (2023)
LOCATION: howard smith wharves and museum of brisbane foyer, brisbane city

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Tropical Anxiety unveils the intrinsic connection between Brisbane and its natural surroundings, revealing how these elements combine to create a cohesive and vibrant urban environment. Finding resonance in the representation of Brisbane's urban social ecology, this artwork underscores the significant invisible threads that connect the community with its flora. The artwork serves as a reminder of the profound impact that green spaces and plant life have on the wellbeing of the community in a tropical climate and how their presence contributes to the city's unique identity.

Michelle Brown is a new media artist based in Brisbane. Working primarily with emerging technologies, her practice explores transformation, experimentation and liminality, and how we use technology to create meaningful connections between people and their environment.

Public program

Mon 30 Oct 2023 to Tue 30 Apr 2024

Brisbane City Council's Outdoor Gallery transforms Brisbane's laneways, city streets and car parks into imaginative, curious, and engaging spaces. Comprising of...

Various locations around Brisbane.

Mon 30 Oct 2023 to Tue 30 Apr 2024
Free

Tropical Anxiety unveils the intrinsic connection between Brisbane and its natural surroundings, revealing how these elements coalesce to create a cohesive and...

Howard Smith Wharves Precinct, Brisbane City

Wed 27 Dec 2023 to Fri 29 Mar 2024

Over 100 Richmond Birdwing Butterflies have arrived in West End this summer. Presented as part of the Brisbane City Council Outdoor Gallery in partnership with...

West Village, West End

Wed 20 to Sat 23 Mar 2024

Be immersed in the Urban Oasis in Queen Street Mall this March. This pop up parklet offers an opportunity for you to immerse yourself in lush plantings and to...

Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City

Thu 21 Mar 2024, 10:00am

Edith Rewa Barrett is an Australian illustrator and textile designer. Her work is grounded in celebrating the diversity of Australia's natural environments -...

Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City

Thu 21 Mar 2024, 10:00am

Edith Rewa Barrett is an Australian illustrator and textile designer. Her work is grounded in celebrating the diversity of Australia's natural environments -...

Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City

Thu 21 Mar 2024, 12:00pm

Fortunes of the Forest is an intimate one-to-one encounter between an individual and Brisbane artist Caitlin Franzmann. The encounter is guided by a deck of...

Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City

Fri 22 Mar 2024, 3:00pm

Edith Rewa Barrett is an Australian illustrator and textile designer. Her work is grounded in celebrating the diversity of Australia's natural environments -...

Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City

Fri 22 Mar 2024, 3:00pm

Edith Rewa Barrett is an Australian illustrator and textile designer. Her work is grounded in celebrating the diversity of Australia's natural environments -...

Queen Street Mall, Brisbane City

APT10 Kids

Brisbane City Council, in collaboration with the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), presents the Outdoor Gallery exhibition, APT10 Kids: Outdoors  at Cordelia Street , South Brisbane.

Featured artworks have been created by Australian and international artists (and in some instances in collaboration with young people) that celebrate love, inclusion, and diversity, acknowledging the importance of collaboration and community.

Cordelia Street - banner

ARTIST: SHANNON NOVAK IN COLLABORATION WITH MATTHIAS BUTCHER
ARTWORK: MAKE VISIBLE: BRISBANE — A PLACE FOR ALL (2021)

Shannon Novak (Aotearoa New Zealand b.1979) creates socially engaged artworks that aim to inspire positive change for the LGBTQI+ community. He is passionate about creating safe spaces that acknowledge, celebrate and support diversity. He achieves this through his art practice and is also the director of a global LGBTQI+ led non-profit called the Safe Space Alliance, an organisation that helps people identify, navigate, and create safe space for the LGBTQI+ community worldwide.

Make Visible: Brisbane – A Place for All  (2021) features illustrations of different LGBTQI+ family groups. The work reflects the artists’ belief that we can work together to create a more loving and accepting world.  

Creative opportunities

For future exhibition and creative sector opportunities with Council, join the Creative Register.

Outdoor gallery map

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Topics: public art

Brisbane City Council acknowledges this Country and its Traditional Custodians. We pay our respects to the Elders, those who have passed into the dreaming; those here today; those of tomorrow.