LINK TO VISION OF PREVIOUS ARTWORKS
LINK TO PHOTOS OF PREVIOUS ARTWORKS
- Queensland Rail's longstanding community art project - 'The Pillars Project' - has unveiled its final work of art.
- 14 pillars of the Merivale Bridge have been painted by leading Australian artists.
- The latest artwork was completed by a Sunshine Coast artist, known as the Zookeeper.
Queensland Rail's The Pillars Project, which has been transforming drab concrete pillars into a vibrant, thought-provoking open art space for a decade, has unveiled the final piece.
Since the project started in 2014, 14 pillars of the Merivale Bridge have been painted by leading Australian artists, some of whom have gone on to become internationally renowned.
The pillars weave their way through the South Brisbane landscape towards South Bank forming a unique outdoor gallery of Australian artists to be enjoyed for years to come.
The series of 10-metre-tall artworks under the Merivale Bridge can be viewed from the Riverside Drive pathway through to Hope Street.
Queensland Rail Graffiti Prevention Coordinator Daniel Brock said the newest artwork "I remember when", located just off Riverside Drive, explores the notion of nostalgia and memory.
"This stunning mural is likely to be the final piece in this particular project, as we've run out of space," Mr Brock said.
"It's an honour to have this spectacular final piece join other paintings by leading Australian artists including Gimiks Born, Guido Van Helten, Matt Adnate and Fintan Magee.
"The area under Merivale Bridge was known as a gathering place for Indigenous people and now you'll often see locals and visitors getting together to take photos or just take in the artwork.
"The Pillars Project is part of Queensland Rail's Positive pARTnerships program which is all about connecting with local artists to produce high quality public art projects which beautify our stations and build community pride and ownership.
"It has so far delivered more than 200 projects that cover approximately 27,000 square metres across the Queensland Rail network, including on station buildings, subways, sound barriers and other infrastructure."
Sunshine Coast artist Joel Fergie, known as the Zookeeper, said his work depicted his father (a local West End school teacher) holding his daughter, telling a story about a camping trip in Northern Australia that almost ended in disaster.
"The piece highlights the contrast between the reality of the past and how it is remembered and retold over time," he said.
"My daughter sits captivated on his lap, as he tells a story about trying to cross a crocodile infested river. Her focus transfixed by a moment in time told with light-heartedness, yet in that moment it was experienced by my father with sheer terror.
"The image and story, retold in a manner that instils a sense of adventure and hopeful optimism.
"The work poses a certain tension found between the reality of a moment and the way in which it is processed, remembered and recounted".
