QUEENSLAND.- Arts Minister Rachel Nolan today announced monumental sculpture In Bed by Ron Mueck will tour five regional Queensland galleries in 2011-2012, as part of the Gallery of Modern Art’s (GoMA) fifth birthday celebrations.

“Queensland Art Gallery is touring the breathtakingly life-like sculpture from September 2011 until July 2012, beginning with Ipswich Art Gallery, 10 September – 13 November, before travelling on to Thuringowa, Cairns, Mackay and Hervey Bay,” Ms Nolan said.

“This 10 month tour is great news for regional audiences and I am certain it will prove extremely popular.

“The Ron Mueck exhibition staged at GoMA last year was an outstanding success and this regional tour will provide those living outside of Brisbane the opportunity to also see one of Mueck’s largest and most engaging works.

“In Bed features a giant-sized, middle-aged woman reclining in bed, the scale of the work is approximately 1.6 metres high, 6.5 metres long and 4 metres wide.

“Ron Mueck’s astoundingly realistic sculptures are some of the most widely acclaimed works in international contemporary art.

“His 2010 exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art was one of the Gallery’s most popular exhibitions, attracting more than 187 000 visitors.

“Audiences are initially compelled by the scale of the work, but it’s the meticulous techniques used by the artist to create this hyper-realistic sculpture which inspires them to get up closer to investigate.”

Since GoMA opened in 2006, the Queensland Art Gallery has delivered eight travelling exhibitions, six on tour programs, five lecture programs and four artist workshops to regional Queensland, attracting almost 300 000 visitors.

Tour venues and dates:
Ipswich Art Gallery 10 September – 13 November 2011
Pinnacles Gallery, Thuringowa 19 November 2011 – 8 January 2012
KickArts Contemporary Arts, Cairns 14 January– 25 March 2012
Artspace Mackay 31 March – 20 May 2012
Hervey Bay Regional Gallery 26 May – 7 July 2012