Have you ever felt the spark of a bright idea?
Adel Abdessemed, Algeria b.1971 / Head on 2007-08 / Neon / 300 x 249.9cm / Purchased 2011 with a special allocation from the QAG Foundation and the QAG Foundation Grant / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Adel Abdessemed / View full image
Adel Abdessemed’s work Head on 2007–08 playfully alludes to a ‘light-bulb moment’ of inventive thought and is based on a freehand drawing of a brain. Its intersecting lines of neon light depict the complex pattern of the cerebral cortex — the outer layer of the human brain, which controls memory, thinking and consciousness. The brain also processes our sensory experiences and shapes how we perceive the world, influencing our capacity for wonder.
Abdessemed is known for poetic works that reflect on the beauty and fragility of life. Within this monumental but simple line drawing — a drawing in light — the artist suggests the capacity of the brain to comprehend the richness of human experience.
Adel Abdessemed, Algeria b.1971 / Head on 2007-08 / Neon / 300 x 249.9cm / Purchased 2011 with a special allocation from the QAG Foundation and the QAG Foundation Grant / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Adel Abdessemed / View full image
Drawing occupies an important position in Abdessemed’s body of work and, while he rarely exhibits conventional works on paper, the practice of drawing informs his works, describing drawing as a way of 'making decisions' and stated that, 'you can’t lie, there is no place for lying in drawing, it’s all there'.
If you’re wondering, the work was produced in Brisbane according to neon bending plans and detailed instructions provided by the artist, and is able to be serviced locally should the neon gas require replacement.
Three metres high, Head on dwarfs the viewer, its soft glow enveloping its surrounding, so keep and eye out for the neon brain at the entrance to ‘Wonderstruck’, accompanied by Lindy Lee’s lively bronze form Unnameable.
View Adel Abdessemed’s Head on 2007–08 in 'Wonderstruck' at the Gallery of Modern Art until 6 October 2025 or delve into the works on display.
Adel Abdessemed’s Head on 2007-08 at the entrance to ‘Wonderstruck’ accompanied by Lindy Lee’s lively bronze form Unnameable / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA / View full image
Wonderstruck
28 June – 6 October 2025
Gallery of Modern Art
Gallery 1.1 (The Fairfax Gallery), Gallery 1.2 & Gallery 1.3 (Eric and Marion Taylor Gallery)
Brisbane, Australia
Free entry