60 61 ARTLINES 3 | 2025 ARTFUL LIVES: THE COHEN SISTERS (2024) PENNY OLSEN Thursday 18 September | 10.30am Saturday 27 September | 3.00pm Members Lounge, QAG The Cohen sisters lived frugally, enjoyed mischief and flaunted their bohemian lifestyle. Raised in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood and then drawn to the tropics, their winters were spent painting, fishing and gardening on their tropical island in Far North Queensland — then an undeveloped part of Australia. Far from the gaze of civilisation, life was simple and bronzed. Artistic men were a temptation. They mixed with prominent artists, writers, designers and academics longing for a more progressive, independent Australia. Lina Bryans, Jock Frater, Arthur Boyd, Clifton Pugh, Noel Wood, Roy Dalgarno, Roger Kemp, Ian Fairweather, Clem Christesen, Alan Marshall and Alistair Knox were among their friends and associates. The sisters’ lives spanned the twentieth century, two World Wars, the Great Depression, and the making of modern Australia. Beginning as wealthy young Melbourne socialites, they gradually shed their skin to become bohemians, painting, writing and — more than anything — enjoying the milieu. Part family history, part social history, part art history, as the sisters’ extraordinary story unfolds, so too does an art heist. A LONG WAY FROM HOME (2020) PETER CAREY Thursday 16 October | 10.30am Saturday 25 October | 3.00pm Members Lounge, QAG Irene Bobs loves fast driving. Her husband is the best car salesman in western Victoria. Together, they enter the Redex Trial, a brutal race around the ancient continent over roads no car will ever quite survive. With them is their lanky, fair-haired navigator Willie Bachhuber, a quiz-show champion and failed schoolteacher, whose job it is to call out the turns, the grids and the creek crossings on a map that will finally remove them — without warning — from the lily-white Australia they know so well. Set in the 1950s, amid the consequences of the age of empires, this funny, brilliantly vivid and lively novel reminds us how Europeans took possession of a timeless culture — the high purpose they invented and the crimes they committed along the way. THE COMFORT OF FIGS (2017) SIMON CLEARY Thursday 13 November | 10.30am Saturday 29 November | 3.00pm Members Lounge, QAG It’s 1939. A bridge is built and a country town becomes a city. Three young men forge a close friendship as they labour precariously high above the river, but one slip transforms their lives. A generation later, Robbie, a young landscaper, is grappling with those who should be closest to him — his father, whose past is linked with the iconic bridge; and his girlfriend, Freya, who is left shattered after a vicious assault. Photograph: Joe Ruckli LOOKING AHEAD After a break in December, Book Club will return in January 2026 with a new reading list inspired by themes from the exhibition ‘Olafur Eliasson: Presence’. JOIN THE CONVERSATION $12 Members / $17 Members’ guests and includes light refreshments / Book online or call (07) 3840 7278 WHAT’S ON From top Visitors participating in a First Nations Art Tour, presented by Sandy Harvey, QAG, June 2025 / Photograph: Joe Ruckli An Art + Yoga session facilitated by Dr Kathie Overeem in the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Galleries (10–13), QAG, February 2025 / Photograph: Joe Ruckli FIRST NATIONS ART FIRST NATIONS ART TOUR Monthly, selected Sundays | 11.30am | QAG Delve into the diverse stories, complex histories, and rich culture of First Nations artists and their work. Join Sandy Harvey (Kalkadoon people), Public Programs Officer, for a tour highlighting the First Nations artworks on display. Free, bookings required. Full event details available online at qagoma.qld.gov.au/firstnationsarttours WEEKDAY WELLBEING: ART, MIND & BODY Monthly, selected Wednesdays | 6.00pm | QAG & GOMA Calm the overthinking and worrying mind with a series of short meditations, gentle stretches and breathing practices. Engage with the present moment, guided by Yasuyo Anne Uehara. Ticketed. Discounts available for QAGOMA Members. Full event details and ticketing information available online at qagoma.qld.gov.au/wellbeing ACCESS The Gallery offers free programs in a safe and supportive setting for community members living with disability. Regular programs are available for visitors who are d/Deaf, visitors with hearing loss, visitors with low or no vision, people living with neurodegenerative conditions including dementia, and visitors who are neurodivergent. Visit qagoma.qld.gov.au/whats-on/events SEPTEMBER ACCESS MONTH In September each year, QAGOMA highlights the suite of free tours and programs for visitors with disability to acknowledge annual awareness events occurring within the community. Visit qagoma.qld.gov.au/access MEMBERS EDITION: ART & DEMENTIA Monday 15 September | 10.00am | QAG To coincide with Dementia Awareness month, this program recognises the positive psychosocial wellbeing benefits that the arts provide for people living with dementia. This program incorporates opportunities for cognitive, tactile, sensory, and social engagement. After exploring two specially selected artworks, visitors with dementia and their care partner participate in a dementiaaccessible, therapeutic creative activity. Free, bookings essential. RSVP required by 11 Sep. Includes a print-out of the works from the program. For more information about the Art and Dementia program, email [email protected] or call (07) 3840 7255 ART & WELLBEING ART + YOGA Monthly, selected Sundays | 8.45am | QAG & GOMA Are you looking to improve the connection between your mind and body? Join a therapeutic yoga session in the peaceful atmosphere of the Gallery, guided by Dr Kathie Overeem (psychology PhD, researcher, and trauma-sensitive yoga facilitator). Move at your own pace and cultivate body awareness to empower yourself in the present moment. Ticketed. Discounts available for QAGOMA Members. Full event details and ticketing information available online at qagoma.qld.gov.au/wellbeing BOOK CLUB Discuss art, life, culture and creativity at our monthly Book Club. The titles on the Members Book Club reading list from September to November 2025 connect to themes explored in the exhibition ‘Under a Modern Sun: Art in Queensland 1930s–1950s’. Members receive 20% off current and past Book Club titles from the QAGOMA Store. Pre-order your books to avoid disappointment. Contact the QAGOMA Store on (07) 3840 7290 at the beginning of the season
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