In welcoming visitors back to the Gallery, we’ve assembled a group of large-scale works of art that reflect on the easing of an unprecedented period of social restrictions.

Though painted in the 1970s, Brian Dunlop’s Room with a visitor could act as a poster for proper social distancing. Brett Whiteley’s abstract works delve into the mind of the artist as they contemplate their inspirations. Dale Frank’s signature use of the freeform properties of pooled and coloured varnish suggests interplanetary travel across a dark universe. Monir Sharoudy Farmanfarmaian’s massive, brightly reflective Lightning for Neda showers GOMA with glimmering shards of light, awakening the dormant space and radiating joy. Finally, artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss’s Snowman surviving in subtropical Brisbane, reaches out to us with a warm, cheery smile.