Kids & Families/ Create a sculptural drawing

Tue 24 Mar 2026

The Children’s Art Centre has worked with Australian sculptor and installation artist Lincoln Austin on a new Art Box for Kids project — one that explores perception, creativity and the joy of making.

Lincoln Austin’s art practice is deeply rooted in the idea of perception — exploring how individuals uniquely view and interact with the world.

I really like this idea that two people can be standing and looking at the same artwork but see something quite different. It’s a reminder that we each see the world differently. — Lincoln Austin

Austin’s Art Box for Kids activity invites children to create a sculptural ‘drawing’ using aluminium foil. Participants begin by using a pencil to draw a simple shape or pattern on a piece of card, then glue string to the card, following the lines of their drawing. To complete their work, children overlay a piece of aluminium foil on top of their design, using their fingers to carefully press the foil into the hollows around the string. The process of Austin’s Al-foil drawing activity encourages tactile engagement and creative exploration; the artist hopes it will inspire children to ‘think with their hands’ and ‘engage their brain in a different way’:

When I think with my hands I get out of my thoughts and I really love that. I hope that’s what children do in Art Box for Kids. — Lincoln Austin

Watch | Lincoln Austin invites you to create a sculptural drawing

To inspire young visitors, on display are four of Austin’s works — Double cross 2010 and Out of sight 2013 from the QAGOMA Collection, and two paper works on loan from the artist, titled Between the sheets 31 and 37 2019 — that exemplify the artist’s fascination with optical phenomena and material experimentation. Austin adds that materials and their different properties drive them to explore new ways of working, noting that ‘I find a material and I’m curious about what it can or can’t do’.

Double cross 2010

Double cross is constructed from double-sided stainless-steel plates held together by metal rods. The resulting sculpture looks like two crosses; one placed on top of the other. The title refers to a trick — to double-cross someone — highlighting the way the work plays with reflection and transparency. From some angles the work appears to be solid, while from others, the viewer can see right through it.

Out of sight uses lenticular techniques to animate the work as viewers move around it, revealing a ‘hidden’ sequence of six images. The title of the artwork refers to the fact that, at any one time, most of the images are literally ‘out of sight’, masked by the striped pattern of the front panel. The title also references the 1964 song of the same name by James Brown (one of Austin’s favourite recording artists), who was known for playing with language in his lyrics.

As an artist I take great delight in works that enliven and intrigue, or baffle and confound, artworks that you can almost feel with your eyes. — Lincoln Austin

Out of sight 2013 (two views)

Jacqueline Tunny is Program Coordinator, Children’s Art Centre, QAGOMA.

Art Box for Kids: Lincoln Austin
Until May 2026
Children’s Art Centre
Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA)
Opening hours for this project may differ to those of GOMA, so be sure to check the website for details.