More than 30 works by Australia’s leading contemporary artists unveiled for Institute for Modern Art’s online Benefit Auction
With the Institute of Modern Art (IMA) Annual Gala just days away, bidding is underway for its Benefit Auction. This completely online event gives seasoned collectors and art enthusiasts the rare opportunity to secure artworks from Australia’s most celebrated contemporary artists. The IMA has remained a beloved locus of independent contemporary art for nearly half a century – and its events like these that ensure it can continue to support artists in their practice into the future. Keep reading to find out more…
As Australia’s oldest independent art gallery, the IMA has persevered as one of Asia Pacific’s most celebrated forums within the contemporary art scene. Nestled inside Brunswick Street’s very own Judith Wright Arts Centre, the gallery was founded in 1975, providing Brisbane’s art-curious community a vital space for exhibitions and events. Throughout the years, the IMA has attracted some of contemporary art’s most prolific artists, critics and scholars to Brisbane, igniting curiosity and inspiring change through art. On Tuesday August 13, the gallery will be raising funds with its annual IMA Gala – an extravagant, art-filled evening set to take place at The Calile Hotel.
To accompany its gala celebration, the IMA launched its online Benefit Auction this week. More than 30 rare and covetable artworks by the likes of Hoda Afshar, Mia Boe, Yuriyal Eric Bridgeman and many more are currently available to bid on. Among the works, art lovers will find a rare piece by celebrated Australian contemporary photographer Bill Henson AO. “Untitled #144B” (1985–6) represents a sacred piece of Australian art history that could be yours to cherish.
Other auction highlights include Natalya Hughes’ large-scale painting The Encore (2024), a brand-new work that continues her explorations of ornamental and decorative traditions, and their associations with the feminine, the body and excess. Leading Australian artist and Gold Coast local Scott Redford’s iconic photograph Boy with Surfboard Cross (1999, printed 2005) is also up for grabs, which features former junior world champion surfer David Rastovich, as well as two new sculptures from the artist. Hoda Afshar’s Speak the Wind (2021) will also be in the bidding line-up, a piece that is part of a series of photographs capturing the complex history of a group of islands in the Strait of Hormuz on the southern coast of Iran. You will also find pieces from emerging Queensland artists James Barth and Mia Boe, who have each contributed original paintings for the auction.
All funds raised through this initiative will directly support the IMA’s future exhibitions and artist commissions. The online auction platform is currently live until 10:00 pm August 13 and invites art lovers to secure museum-quality works by some of the most recognisable and up-and-coming artists in Australia.
Limited tickets are still available for the gala – so be quick! Grab your ticket online here.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
