BRISBANE ART DESIGN (BAD) 2023

Brisbane Art Design (BAD) 2023 is making a comeback this year, promising to bring bold, daring art and design to Brisbane's city and suburbs from May 10-28.

The Museum of Brisbane is spearheading the initiative, which includes over 150 cultural events and exhibitions centred around the theme of Culture. Community. Clay. 

BAD will take its events beyond the city limits and into the suburbs, with pop-up events, after-hours studio tours, and exclusive workshops to keep the creative juices flowing.

Attendees can look forward to seeing clay works by local ceramicists Bonnie Hislop, Steph Woods, Kenji Uranishi, Jane du Rand, and Nicolette Johnson at MoB.

The program isn't just about admiring artwork either. Attendees can attend art dinners, fashion parades, and even a BAD bus tour to take them to various studios and spaces around the city. So get ready to get BAD and show the world what Brisbane's artistic scene is all about!

Setting the scene for the BAD festival, The City will host the popular Botanica: Contemporary Art Outside in City Botanic Gardens with largescale artworks and artist tours accompanied by food trucks and evening ambience across 10 nights. 

Over at MoB, BAD’s flagship exhibition Clay: Collected Ceramics  introduces this year’s theme with a curatorial focus on the city’s cutting-edge ceramicists with five new exclusively commissioned works on display. 

Look out for pop-up artist studios in The City as well as exhibition talks at Birrrunga Gallery and QUT Art Museum. BAD will also bring the arty vibes to Howard Smith Wharves through live art projections as part of Brisbane City Council’s Outdoor Gallery.

Take a trip north to explore the edgy and design-forward precincts of Fortitude Valley, Newstead, Albion, Bowen Hills, Northshore, and Toowong during BAD festival 2023.

Engage in the creative process with the Design Institute of Australia's In Conversation series and meet the makers at Brisbane's only The Finders Keepers markets.

Embark on a walking tour to peek behind the scenes of some of The Valley's most intriguing industrial, product, and architectural studios, indulge in live art and food trucks at The Black Market Albion, and take part in a hands-on ceramics workshop at Mas & Miek Ceramic House in Newstead.

For intimate looks at contemporary pieces, check out FireWorks Gallery in Bowen Hills, POP Gallery and The Station Brisbane in the Valley, Land Street Gallery in Toowong, and Superordinary in the Northshore precinct during Up Late events.

The final weekend of BAD 2023 invites art enthusiasts to explore South Brisbane, Woolloongabba, West End, Yeronga and Yeerongpilly, and check out creative outlets and fine art institutes.

Fish Lane in South Brisbane will host a wearable art and fashion parade and an exclusive art dinner at Southside restaurant, while Echo & Bounce in Woolloongabba will have local DJs for a laneway soiree. Visitors can peek at works in progress and signature pieces at open studios and workshops at various locations.

The BAD festival will conclude with an arty closing party at Yeerongpilly’s Station Road Creative Precinct on Sunday 28 May, celebrating the local creative community’s inspired, expressive, and experimental output.

BAD is an initiative of Museum of Brisbane and proudly supported by Brisbane City Council with Major Partner, the Queensland Government.

Museum of Brisbane is a valued partner of Must Do Brisbane.com