A field of more than 3000 specially created flower sculptures (illustrated) is among a range of immersive must-see artworks premiering in the major solo exhibition ‘Patricia Piccinini: Curious Affection’ now open at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). Patricia Piccinini is one of the most exciting and challenging contemporary Australian artists working today and ‘Curious Affection’, presented exclusively at GOMA until 5 August 2018, is her most ambitious project to date.

Influenced by science, nature, fiction and the unconscious, Piccinini’s ongoing concern is the social and moral impact of advanced technology on people, animals and our planet. Her fantastical creatures and environments are, in a way, propositions about possible futures which engage us on an emotional level, as they challenge conventional notions of beauty, perfection and the ideal.

Through this exhibition of recent and major new work, enter Piccinini’s world, a place where the conventional boundaries between reality and artifice are unstable, and our intrigue and curiosity are pulled into the space between. The works invite you to look beyond the strangeness to make a connection.

‘Curious Affection’ is the first time a contemporary Australian artist had presented their work at GOMA on such a grand scale. The exhibition occupies the entire ground floor and features more than 70 sculptures, photographs, videos, drawings and a number of large-scale installations, including major new commissions.

Patricia Piccinini, Australia b.1965 / The Couple 2018 (installation view, GOMA 2018) / Silicone, fibreglass, hair, cotton; ed. 1/3 + 1 AP / 42 x 168 x 65cm / Courtesy: The artist; Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne; Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney; and Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco / © The artist

Exhibition highlights include Pneutopia 2018 (illustrated), a voluminous inflatable suspended in GOMA’s atrium, Kindred 2018 (illustrated), an orangutan-like mother with two young children and The Couple 2018 (illustrated), a sculpture of a pair in a loving embrace inside an original 1980’s caravan. Piccinini describes the imaginary beings in ‘Curious Affection’ as ‘almost possible’ and while they are not always beautiful in the conventional sense, there is a compelling sincerity and dignity about them.

Read more at: https://blog.qagoma.qld.gov.au/patricia-piccininis-major-solo-exhibition-opens-at-goma/