The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) has exported a major exhibition, "Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific," to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The show, which runs until January 10, 2027, features works collected over 30 years through QAGOMA's Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, including pieces by Australian artists Michael Cook, Naomi Hobson, Shirley Macnamara, Ken Thaiday Sr, and Judy Watson, as well as artists from China, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, and beyond.
The exhibition marks a significant reversal of the usual art flow from Europe to Australia, with QAGOMA director Chris Saines calling it "a watershed moment" for the gallery. The show provides an international platform for contemporary art from the Asia-Pacific region at one of the world's most influential museums, the V&A, which attracts millions of visitors. Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek highlighted that the Asia Pacific Triennial has injected $140 million into Queensland's economy and been experienced by over 4 million visitors, underscoring the cultural and economic importance of this export.