Contraptions

Tromarama, Indonesia est. 2004 / Wattt?! 2010 / Single-channel stop motion video animation: 5:48 minutes, colour, soundMusic: Kulan / Purchased 2011. QAG Foundation / Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Tromarama / View full image
When
4 Oct 2025 – 1 Mar 2026
Where
Gallery of Modern Art & Gallery 2.1
Admission
Free
About
‘Contraptions’ considers how artists use machines for play, experimentation, and hands-on exploration of ideas. Whilst digital production dominates the landscape in the everyday, many artists are still entranced by the mechanical qualities of contraptions and the analogue nature of their often hand-made forms.
The selected works examine humanity’s relationship with technology by using elements of whimsy and absurdity to conjure unexpected encounters that enhance our perception of the world around us.
Robert Klippel, Australia 1920–2001 / No. 247 Metal construction 1965–68 / Welded and brazed steel, found objects, wood / 198 x 145 x 126cm (irreg., without base) / Purchased 1983. QAG Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © QAGOMA / View full image
Liam O'Brien, Australia b.1987 / Domestication 2014 / Single-channel HD video: 10:15 minutes, colour, stereo / Purchased 2015. QAGOMA Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Liam Campbell O'Brien/Copyright Agency / View full image