'Sugar Spin'
you, me, art and everything
Dec 2016 -
Apr 2017

GOMA is turning 10 – how sweet! Headlining the celebrations is 'Sugar Spin', featuring over 250 contemporary artworks exploring light, space, architecture and the senses. From brand-new immersive works to large-scale visitor favourites, the exhibition reflects our complex connections to the natural world with an explosion of colour, sensation and spinning delights.
Major new artworks include Nervescape, a multi-coloured landscape of synthetic hair by Icelandic-born artist Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir aka Shoplifter and, by American sculptor and performance artist Nick Cave, the electrifying Heard – a group of vibrant sculptural horses brought to life by dancers.
'Sugar Spin' also marks the return of Carsten Höller's much-loved Left/Right Slide, spiralling visitors from the top floor of GOMA to the bottom; Ron Mueck's oversized In bed; Olafur Eliasson's interactive installation of thousands of white Lego pieces The cubic structural evolution project; and Céleste Boursier-Mougenot's musical installation of live finches, from here to ear (v.13) 2010.
Complex connections between humanity and the natural world are celebrated and reconceived in 'Sugar Spin' as it draws visitors between distinctive chapters – sweetmelt, blackwater, treasure, cosmos, soaring – establishing a dramatic itinerary through GOMA's unique exhibition spaces, reflecting the urgent challenges of our day, as well as the beauty of the world we live in.
'Sugar Spin' ran at GOMA from 3 December 2015 to 17 April 2016.
Feature image: Nick Cave's HEARD (detail) 2012, installed at GOMA for 'Sugar Spin', December 2016 / Purchased 2016 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Gallery of Modern Art with funds from the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Diversity Foundation through the QAGOMA Foundation / © Nick Cave / Photograph: N Harth, QAGOMA
Collection artworks featured in 'Sugar Spin'

Annie Ah Kee 2008
- AH KEE, Vernon - Creator

Bella Ami 2008
- AH KEE, Vernon - Creator

Bracelet 1864
- attrib. to HOGARTH, ERICHSEN & CO. - Manufacturer
- HOGARTH, Julius - Designer
- ERICHSEN, Conrad - Maker

Wirnpa 2010
- BALBAL, Lydia - Creator

The Shooting Gallery 1989
- BENNETT, Gordon - Creator

The Coming of the Light 1987
- BENNETT, Gordon - Creator

Sar (headdresses) 2011
- BERRY, Alex - Artist
- WILSON, Baila - Artist
- MABUT, John Kanau - Artist
- AUSORI, James - Artist
- KOMONAIN, Cornelius - Artist
- SALLE, Francisca - Artist
- CHUNE, Rupina - Artist
- SAKUM, Joe - Artist
- SALLE, Cornelius Auka - Artist

'Mourn' hand object 1993
- BLYFIELD, Julie - Creator

Untitled 2002
- BOOTH, Peter - Creator

Green flower 1999-2000
- BRITTON, Helen - Creator

Flaming tower 1999-2000
- BRITTON, Helen - Creator

Professor Frighteror 1998
- BRITTON, Helen - Creator

Cake 1999-2000
- BRITTON, Helen - Creator

Majic portal 1998
- BRITTON, Helen - Creator

Value added landscape no. 10 1993
- BURN, Ian - Artist
- SHAW, W.F. - Painter of landscape

Dead leaves of Tokyo 1999
- CARCHESIO, Eugene - Creator

The birth of saints 2007
- CARCHESIO, Eugene - Creator

HEARD 2012
- CAVE, Nick - Creator

Garden 2007
- CHEN Qiulin - Creator

Sound stones 1985
- CORNER, Philip - Creator

Red Shift 2006-07
- COTTON, Shane - Creator

The Theory of Everything 2005
- de MEDICI, eX - Creator

Live the (Big Black) Dream 2006
- de MEDICI, eX - Creator

Putting down the prey 2008
- DJURBERG, Nathalie - Artist
- BERG, Hans - Composer

I never stopped loving you 2010
- EMIN, Tracey - Creator

Steiner rainbow 2006
- FLOYD, Emily - Creator

Ule and Neo (Male and female fish) 2011
- GABUOR, Alex - Artist
- SIM, Stanley - Artist
- GABUOR, Joe - Artist
- CHUNE, Damien - Artist
- SNOWAL, Kelly - Artist
- YADEHABA, Mark - Artist

Tender 2003-06
- HALL, Fiona - Creator

Liberte 2009
- HAZOUME, Romuald - Creator

Nest Violeta 2009
- HAZOUME, Romuald - Creator

Wax Rasta 2009
- HAZOUME, Romuald - Creator

Future Remnant 2011
- HEALY, Claire - Artist
- CORDEIRO, Sean - Artist

Untitled 1995-96
- HENSON, Bill - Creator

For the love of God, laugh 2007
- HIRST, Damien - Creator

Archer mourning brooch c.1860
- HOGARTH, Julius - Designer
- ERICHSEN, Conrad - Maker
- HOGARTH, ERICHSEN & CO. - Manufacturer

Left/Right Slide 2010
- HÖLLER, Carsten - Creator

Ressort 2012
- HUANG Yong Ping - Creator

Hi inlander 1999
- JAARSMA, Mella - Creator

Trimanya 2007
- JAMES, Jeanette - Creator

From one cloth 1987
- JOHNSON, Tim - Creator

Void (#13) 1991-92
- KAPOOR, Anish - Creator

Infinity nets 2000
- KUSAMA, Yayoi - Creator

Writing the unspoken 1999
- LEE Mingwei - Creator

I yara yara 2006
- MARA, Finau - Creator

Milngurr 2007
- MARIKA, Dhuwarrwarr - Creator

Small pink composite 2000
- MARSLAND, Sally - Creator

Big white composite 2000
- MARSLAND, Sally - Creator

Citizens Band 2010-12
- MESITI, Angelica - Creator

Home 1995-96
- MORTON, Callum - Creator

In bed 2005
- MUECK, Ron - Creator

PixCell-Double Deer#4 2010
- NAWA, Kohei - Creator

Brooch 2007
- NEALE, David - Creator

Brooch 2007
- NEALE, David - Creator

Brooch 2007
- NEALE, David - Creator

Walking in tall grass, Matt 2007
- NELSON, Jan - Creator

Walking in tall grass, Rose 2007
- NELSON, Jan - Creator

Contingent 2008
- NEUENSCHWANDER, Rivane - Creator

Proposal for a Vietnamese landscape #1: Doan ket quyet thang, khat khao hon, Dinh (United and determined to triumph, thirst for more, Dinh) 2006
- NGUYEN, Tuan Andrew - Artist
- HA, Phu Nam Thuc - Collaborating artist
- LINK-FISH - Collaborating artist
- YELLOW, Ca Sau - Collaborating artist
- GIL - Collaborating artist
- NGO DONG - Collaborating artist
- HUANG, Jason - Collaborating artist

Limits of Mapping 2009
- NKANGA, Otobong - Creator

Home for Kipinga 2012
- NKANGA, Otobong - Creator

Agripeta 2013
- NKANGA, Otobong - Creator

Ruby's room no. 6 1999
- NOBLE, Anne - Creator

Ruby's room no. 10 2000
- NOBLE, Anne - Creator

Ruby's room no. 16 2001
- NOBLE, Anne - Creator

Ruby's room no. 17 2001
- NOBLE, Anne - Creator

Ruby's room no. 22 2002
- NOBLE, Anne - Creator

Ruby's room no. 33 2005
- NOBLE, Anne - Creator

Double tail 2003
- OROZCO, Gabriel - Creator

The Horn of Africa 2006
- PAREKŌWHAI, Michael - Creator

One love 2007
- PIVI, Paola - Creator

Connection 2004
- PUTRIH, Tobias - Creator

Silent spaces 1 2005
- QURESHI, Nusra Latif - Creator

Cigarette dummy 2008
- RINGHOLT, Stuart - Creator

Aerosol Fosters 2009
- RINGHOLT, Stuart - Creator

Aerosol Coca-Cola 2009
- RINGHOLT, Stuart - Creator

Double cigarette 2008
- RINGHOLT, Stuart - Creator

Flask c.AD1-500
- ROMAN GLASS - Creator

cigarettesandwich 2003
- RONDINONE, Ugo - Creator

Ghost net gear bag 2009
- SABATINO, Reggie - Creator

Group of five eggs 1980
- SCHOENHEIMER, Joy - Creator

mid-air 2003
- SELIG, Sandra - Creator

Muted expression 2015
- SHERPA, Tsherin - Creator

Netsuke: (islander) 19th century
- SHOJU - Creator

Bleach IV 2013
- SRIVILASA, Vipoo - Creator

Aurophobia - the fear of gold 2012
- TALLUR, LN - Creator

Trans/form no. 10.2 2003
- TSE, Sara - Creator

Dress no. 66 2003
- TSE, Sara - Creator

Greek coin c.121-96BC
- UNKNOWN - Creator

Mourning bracelet
- UNKNOWN - Creator

Mourning bracelet c.1880-1900
- UNKNOWN - Creator

Mourning brooch
- UNKNOWN - Creator

Patung Cerita - Fumeripits myth 2011
- UNKNOWN - Creator

Netsuke: (flower) 19th century
- UNKNOWN - Creator

Netsuke: (lotus bud) 19th century
- UNKNOWN - Creator

Fire of the Year 8 2008
- VANDY Rattana - Creator

Fire of the Year 5 2008
- VANDY Rattana - Creator

Fire of the Year 6 2008
- VANDY Rattana - Creator

sacred ground beating heart 1989
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

grandmother's song 2007
- WATSON, Judy - Creator

Blind of sight III 2001
- WRIGHT, Judith - Creator

Blind of sight III 2001
- WRIGHT, Judith - Creator

Blind of sight 2 2000
- WRIGHT, Judith - Creator

Abmin (String bag) 2007
- YAM, Doreen - Creator

X-Blind Spot No.1 2008
- YANG Shaobin - Creator

X-Blind Spot No.4 2008
- YANG Shaobin - Creator

Gan'yu (Stars) 2007
- YUNUPINGU, Gulumbu - Creator

Bad dad 2013
- ZAVROS, Michael - Creator