Top 5 things to see & do in May & beyond

Thu 23 Apr 2026

Explore Brisbane's cultural destination this May — the neighbouring gallery buildings Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) and Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). For a perfect blend of International, Australian, Asian, and Pacific art alongside contemporary installations, wander through the tranquil Watermall and the permanent Collections at QAG, then pop over to the immersive installations of Olafur Eliasson at GOMA.

Olafur Eliasson: Presence

Make a day of your visit, we’re just a short stroll from the city across the Victoria Bridge near QAG or the Kurilpa Bridge at GOMA; close to South Bank Parklands for a ride on The Wheel of Brisbane offering views across the city and the Brisbane Sign, a popular spot for a selfie.

RELATED | More Gallery experiences

1. GOMA Friday Nights is back for 'Olafur Eliasson: Presence'

GOMA is open every Friday night from 1 May until 26 June, during ‘Olafur Eliasson: Presence’. Step into the multi-sensory art of Eliasson, meet up with friends, and enjoy drinks and delicious bites at bespoke bars.

Each week, Brisbane's best selectors take over the Vinyl Listening Bar, DJs set the mood in the River Room, and live performances by percussionist and composer Vanessa Tomlinson pop-up across the Gallery.

GOMA Friday Nights is an invigorating end-of-week boost and the perfect place to connect after work.

Exclusive to Brisbane, ‘Presence’ displays major works by one of contemporary art’s pre-eminent figures. From large-scale works that play with light, colour and perception to a meticulously constructed riverbed — this exhibition comes to life as we move through it and experience each moment in succession.

Gallery of Modern Art
'Olafur Eliasson: Presence'
View a full list of DJs, and weekly Vinyl Listening Bar themes
Get tickets to GOMA Friday Nights

Watch | GOMA Friday Nights

Watch | Vanessa Tomlinson is inspired by Eliasson’s Presence

Watch | Experience the exhibition through gentle sensory prompts

2. Doppelgängers, look-alikes & the uncanny

Just announced is the Australian Cinémathèque's film program 'Double Take'. From duplicitous imposters and conniving clones to inseparable twins and oneiric obsession, the program examines the mutability of identity and the ways in which it can be fragmented, replicated and exchanged between people.

Australian Cinémathèque, Gallery of Modern Art
'Double Take'
1 May – 1 July 2026
View the program
Get tickets to 'Double Take'

Director: David Lynch Mulholland Drive 2001

Director: John Ford The Whole Town's Talking 1935

3. The wonders & frustrations of contemporary city living

Urban architecture has long been a lens through which artists explore both utopian and dystopian visions of society. '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.

Gallery of Modern Art
'City Before Our Eyes'
Media Lounge & Pavilion Walk
Until 25 October 2026
Free entry

Aditya Novali The Wall: Asian Un(real) Estate Project 2018

4. Walk on the foilage side

Martin Boyce frequently references natural elements in urban settings, his three Cubist inspired trees are a hidden gem on the Kurilpa Lawn nestled within nature waiting to be discovered outside the western precinct of GOMA and the gateway to the Kurilpa Bridge. More than fifteen feet high, each tree had a cruciform trunk supporting quadrangular planes attached vertically and at angles, suggesting foliage. Delve into the artwork before you visit or plan your sculpture walk at QAG or GOMA.

Gallery of Modern Art
Public Art
Kurilpa Lawn

Martin Boyce We are shipwrecked and landlocked 2008-10

5. Go back in time to a busy corner of the Brisbane River

George Wishart’s painting A busy corner of the Brisbane River 1897 is of considerable interest and importance as paintings which represent the commercial activity on the Brisbane River are extremely rare. Go back in time when Brisbane was establishing itself as a commercial hub with busy port activity at the Eagle Street shipping wharves. Delve into the artwork before you visit, or browse more stories from our past with Brisbane through the Collection.

Queensland Art Gallery
Australian Art Collection
Gallery 10 (Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Galleries)
Free entry

Watch | Delve into the paintings secrets uncovered by the Gallery's Conservation team

Sailing ships docked at Eagle Street Wharf, c.1888

6. Our wild card. Do you believe in mythical dragons?

Mythical dragons... we have the real ones! Our resident Eastern Water Dragons want in — they can't but you can. When you visit see our friendly four legged friends near the Gallery's Reflection Pond & Sculpture Courtyard, the're semi aquatic so you might be lucky to see them swimming by — they can grow up to a metre in length, thankfully our's aren’t that big.

Queensland Art Gallery
Sculpture Courtyard
Free entry

Located riverside across two architecturally-acclaimed buildings in the Queensland Cultural Centre, QAGOMA is a short walk from Brisbane's CBD, adjacent to South Bank, and welcomes visitors of all ages, interests and abilities.

Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA)
Brisbane, Australia