'The City Before Our Eyes'
Mar 2026 - Oct 2026

Urban architecture has long been a lens through which artists explore both utopian and dystopian visions of society. 'The City Before Our Eyes' presents paintings, videos, and sculpture that span the full spectrum of metropolitan life — from dizzying tower-block vistas and the alienation of bleak offices and cramped living quarters to the everyday magic of cosmopolitan existence.

Once imagined as a place where dreams could be realised and individuals could transform their lives, the city now often embodies harsher realities: competing for jobs, insecure housing, and enduring exhausting commutes. These pressures have inspired artworks that convey a sense of grime, claustrophobia, and relentless pace. When depicting the vast scale of cities, artists frequently play with perspectives untethered from the ground – ranging from fantastical visions of cities in the sky to vertigo-inducing vantage points. Amid this immensity, small moments of delight and absurdity emerge for those attentive to their surroundings. Such vignettes are often captured with portable cameras, enabling artists to respond intimately and spontaneously to urban life. Since the 1960s, the growing accessibility of video recording devices has enabled artist to practice inexpensively even in environments dominated by high-cost real estate.

'The City Before Our Eyes' brings together works that draw from various art historical references – from surrealism, dada, pop art, documentary and social realism – to express the wonders and frustrations of contemporary city living.

'The City Before Our Eyes' is on display from March to October 2026 in Galleries 3.1 and 3.2, Media Lounge & Pavilion Walk. To make the most of your visit, check the exhibition dates, get information on getting here and parking, and find out about Gallery accessibility.

Feature image: Song Dong / China b.1966 / Walking through the mirror (still) 2002 / Mini DV: 1:52 minutes, colour, stereo / Gift of the artist through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation 2003 / © The artist