Brisbane's Art Trails

Enjoy a Brisbetter Day Out as you discover Brisbane's abundance of outdoor art with these four public art walking trails, each focusing on different themes.

View the artworks along the Brisbane River or take in the City's contemporary art and architecture. Step back in time for an historic look at Brisbane's cultural heritage or relive the glory days of World Expo '88 with the nostalgic Expo art trail. Meanwhile, the laneways and streets of Brisbane City have been transformed into an Outdoor Gallery by Brisbane City Council, with an ever-changing canvas of stunning artworks to discover:

Enjoy a stunning river walk whilst taking in the artworks on the way on this 2.4km trail that meanders along the river at Kangaroo Point, starting from the Maritime Museum, climbing to the top of the cliffs and ending down at the Thornton St Ferry Terminal.

Some highlights include Christopher Trotter's Biomechanical Penguins in the river and Fish Fossil, at the base of the cliffs as well as the iconic Expo '88 sculpture Man & Matter and the giant 23m sculpture Venus Rising, near Joey's cafe, which makes a great refreshment stop along the way. 

This fascinating 1.3km trail, starting at King George Square and finishing at St Stephens Cathedral, takes you through the plazas and squares of Brisbane's CBD, with a focus on the memorials and artworks depicting Brisbane's history.

Some highlights of this trail are the poignant wartime sculptures and memorials in ANZAC Square, Leonard Shillam's The Banker at Post Office Square and Resilience, the Women's Suffrage Memorial in Emma Millar Place adjacent to the convict built Commissariat Stores Museum. 

Take a nostalgic trip back to Expo '88 with this self-guided trail including some of the most iconic artworks and artefacts from the event that changed Brisbane. Most of the works are within walking distance of the CBD, with two located at Brisbane Botanic Gardens in Mt Coot-tha.

Look out for The Human Factor series by Artbusters, including The Juggler and The Trapeze Artist and Forme Del Mito in the CBD and The Dancers, Jennifer and Bruce the Unicyclist at South Brisbane. Further afield, you can spot Chair at Brisbane Botanic Gardens and Showdown on Gregory Tce, Spring Hill

Thanks to a decade-long Council partnership with the private sector, integrating public art with private developments, Brisbane CBD is now home to a unique gallery of artworks. Located in building foyers, facades or laneways, these works are all closely linked to, or integrated with, the building design. 

Highlights of this trail include the amazing Steam sculptures, made from vegetable steamers, dottd around Reddacliff Place, the Falling from Above series by artist Stuart Green, and Landlines, a large-scale depiction of a topographical map on the facade of 53 Albert St.

Brisbane City Council's Outdoor Gallery displays art outside in city streets, instead of inside on gallery walls, transforming Brisbane's laneways and city streets into imaginative, curious, and engaging spaces. You'll see art on light boxes, banners, and vitrines, as well as stunning evening projections, including artworks projected onto the cliffs at Howard Smith Wharves.

From 1 May to 31 July 2021 the Outdoor Gallery is featuring new and existing artworks from Australia's leading Aboriginal artists as part of the Hyperlocal Indigenous Art Program 2021. The exciting exhibition profiles Aboriginal artists that remained in Brisbane during 2020 and is complemented by an vibrant program of tours, talks and workshops for children and adults

For more inspiration on more great things to discover and explore around Brisbane, go to Brisbane City Council's website and click on Brisbetter Days Out.

Brisbane City Council is a valued partner of Must Do Brisbane.com