THE GOLD Coast City Gallery has hosted a range of significant exhibitions over the years with a number that have attempted to define and celebrate the cultural diversity of the city. Here is a small selection of some of the exhibitions that give some context to the range of art and culture on the Gold Coast.
Visual Culture
The Good Son: Michael Zavros, works on paper
Now considered one of Australia’s leading contemporary artists, Zavros grew up on the Gold Coast. The exhibition and essay explores his fascination with beauty and its transience through his drawing and printmaking. The brochure also documents short film about the artist by Director Alex Chomicz.
Essay by Virginia Rigney
Exhibition brochure
ISBN 978 0 9775023 4 1
Published by GCCG 2009
Sexualising the City: Imaging Desire + Gold Coast Identity
Since its inception as a destination, the Gold Coast has been closely identified with sexualised imagery of the body. This exhibition through both popular culture and artworks drew upon themes of Freedom, Excess, Glamour, Allure and Raunch, to investigate the rich visual culture regarding sexualised imagery and the Gold Coast.
Essays by Virginia Rigney and Laini Burton.
Exhibition catalogue; Pages 60
ISBN 978 0 9871415 1 5 3 8
Published by GCCG 2012
Surfing the 60s - A Journey of Discovery: The emergence of surfing culture on the Gold Coast
The decade that saw the surf culture arrive and begin to flourish on the Gold Coast charting the influences and connection between Californian and Hawaiian surfers and shapers and the development of distinctive and original local shapes and an explosive surfing style to match the exhilarating breaks. Featuring the collection of vintage boards by Carl Tanne.
Photography by Mal Sutherland and Essay by Virginia Rigney
Exhibition brochure; No ISBN
Published by GCCG 2006
2010 Flying Colours - 10 Years of Queensland College of Art on the Gold Coast
This exhibition and publication celebrates and presents the work of six of the graduates from Queensland College of Art on the Gold Coast including Chris Bennie, Abbey McCulloch, Michael Zavros and Victoria Reichlt.
Essays by David Broker, Virginia Rigney, Marian Drew and Donna Marcus.
Exhibition catalogue; Pages 46
ISBN 978 1 921291 99 9
Published by GCCG 2010
Sold! The Gold Coast Real Estate Dream
Alongside tourism, the culture of real estate has been a defining element within the creation of the image of the Gold Coast. This exhibition presented photography and graphic design for real estate advertising from the 1880s to the present alongside works by contemporary artists reflecting on the power of the big sell.
Essays Virginia Rigney, Pat Wise, Joe Hadju , Robert Longhurst, Peter Spearitt and Jim Forbes.
Exhibition catalogue; Pages 28
ISBN 0 95775023 0 9
Published by GCCG 2006
A Place in the Sun: Historical visions of the Gold Coast
A survey of artworks depicting the Gold Coast region from the time of first white settlement to 1950 showing early farming, hinterland landscapes, beach and broadwater. Featuring works by Edwin Bode, Vida Lahey, Vincent Brown, William Bustard and H.C. Simpson.
Text by Brett Adlington, Bettina MacAulay, Tracey Cooper, John Swanson and Patricia Prentice.
Exhibition catalogue; Pages 36
ISBN 0 9577801 4 1.
Published by GCCG 2003
Watershed
In early 2015 the Masterplan for the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct was endorsed.
To mark this watershed moment, community groups from across the city were invited to collaborate with a team of artists and designers to create the Watershed lantern project for the Glow festival 2015.