The Motorcycle
Design, Art, Desire
28 Nov 2020 – 26 Apr 2021
GOMA | Gallery 1.1 The Fairfax Gallery, Gallery 1.2, Gallery 1.3 Eric & Marion Taylor Gallery | Ticketed
Discover a whole new perspective of The Motorcycle.
Get your motor running… ‘The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire’ opens the throttle on the ground-breaking designs that shaped one of the most iconic objects the world has ever seen.
Featuring radical concepts, record breakers and road icons, the fully-immersive exhibition showcases 100 of the greatest motorcycles ever assembled.
Show off your ride with #MotorcycleGOMA | Read more about each motorcycle, co-curator highlights or check out the list of motorcycles on display before your visit — all on the QAGOMA Blog.
Tickets are also available to purchase onsite between 10.00am – 4.15pm. Visit our ticket information page for details on ticket prices, accepted concessions, companion cards, season tickets etc.
This world-exclusive exhibition, only in Brisbane will showcase the art, design and history of one of the most iconic objects of the last 150 years, the motorcycle.
Featuring more than 100 innovative and influential motorcycles from the 1860s to present day, it will consider the iconic vehicle from the perspective of social history, popular culture, design and technology.
The exhibition will tap into the appeal of this enduring object of design and art, looking at the motorcycle’s past, present and future.
Highlights of the exhibition will include:
- An 1871 Perreaux, the first steam-powered velocipede and oldest known motorcycle in the world;
- The earliest Australian-designed and built machines, including a Spencer produced in Brisbane in 1906;
- The 1951 Vincent Black Lightning that set an Australian land speed record in its day and more recently a world record for the highest price paid at auction for a motorcycle;
- Symbols of speed including the1930s Triumph Speed Twin, the 1970s Ducati 750 Super Sport, and the 1990s Britten V1000;
- Off-road motorcycles highlighting a rich history of bikes built for dust and dirt;
- Customised motorcycles at the intersection of art and design;
- Ultra-modern electric motorcycles, demonstrating the future of transportation in the age of renewable energy.
Interact Digitally
Explore the exhibition digitally through an exciting VIRTUAL TOUR SERIES with co-curators Charles Falco and Ultan Guilfoyle as they explore 16 of their highlights from the exhibition. Onsite, enjoy a range of immersive interactives. Take a virtual seat on a 1950s Vespa, 1960s Dirt Bike or an Electric ‘Future’ Bike and go riding in real-time through a themed landscape. Spend some time building and customising your own bike, on a touch-screen interactive, maybe with a little help from our virtual Ellaspede consultant. You can also discover more about the art, design and historical context of each bike through the exhibition companion website.
Motorcycles on screen
The accompanying cinema program 'Motorcycles on Screen' explores film depictions of motorcycles from around the world, looking back at more than a century of motorcycles on screen. It includes iconic classics, cult favourites, and recent films. Explore themes of freedom, danger, and fraternity, as well as surveying the vehicle’s history and looking ahead to the roles it may play in future societies.
Production still from The Great Escape 1953 / Director: John Sturges / Image courtesy: Park Circus
M Shop
Get up to speed at The Motorcycle Exhibition Shop, a pop-up retail experience featuring an exciting range of publications and products that explore the culture, vibe, and aesthetic that inspired exhibition. Highlights include exclusive exhibition apparel and accessories by cult brand Deus ex Machina, and bespoke design pieces produced by local heroes Ellaspede. The publication The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire is available at the QAGOMA Store and online
COVID-safe entry
Entry to ‘The Motorcycle’ exhibition will be staggered to allow visitors to enter in safe numbers and allow for free movement throughout the exhibition while following social distancing advice. This means there may be a short wait before you can enter the exhibition. Purchasing your exhibition tickets in advance will help the queuing run smoothly. Contact tracing details will be required on arrival for access to the Gallery. For more details visit our COVID-safe practices plan.
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