QAGOMA Launches Playful Sculptural Commission

On September 22, Brisbane’s Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art unveiled The Big Hose, a new permanent outdoor commission by Indigenous Australian artist Tony Albert and Sydney-based artist Nell. The 119-meter-long sculptural garden hose sits on the Brisbane River bank at Kurilpa Point—a traditional cultural site for the Turrbal and Yaggera peoples. The installation, which also functions as a children’s playscape, was developed in collaboration with the Children’s Art Centre to engage visitors with Kurilpa’s Indigenous history. In a statement, Albert noted that the chosen location is connected to the Story Place of Kuril, the native water rat: “[O]ne of the central ideas about the work is creating greater awareness of the thousands of years of Indigenous history of this site.”

Billy Tang Named Artistic Director of London’s Yan Du Projects

London-based nonprofit Yan Du Projects (YDP) has appointed Billy Tang as artistic director, effective this month. Tang, who recently concluded his three-year tenure as executive director and curator at Hong Kong’s Para Site and has held curatorial positions in Beijing and Shanghai, returns to his native London, where he was born to immigrant parents. YDP, the second nonprofit founded by Chinese-born collector and philanthropist Yan Du, is dedicated to supporting Asian artists with a focus on immigrant and diaspora communities. Tang envisions the organization as “a platform where artists can experiment beyond a Western-centric framework,” expressing excitement over the opportunity to nurture and support emerging and experimental practices.

China Welcomes First Museum Dedicated to Women’s Art

The Museum of Women’s Art (MOWA), the first institution devoted to female artists in China, has opened by the Lugu Lake on the Yunnan-Sichuan provincial border in southwestern China. Spanning 500 square meters, the museum launched with an inaugural exhibition, titled “La Barca Leggera (The Light Boat),” of works by Chinese Swiss artist Luo Mingjun alongside writings by Swiss poet Alberto Nessi. The show’s centerpiece is a boat installation by Luo Mingjun, for which she collaborated with women from the Indigenous Mosuo community, whose matriarchal traditions inspired MOWA’s vision. Speaking with the Global Times, museum director Luo Yi emphasized the importance of “co-creation with the local community” and that she hopes “[the Mosuo women] will develop a greater sense of pride while gaining fresh perspectives for their own culture.” She added that the institution does not “exclud[e] male artists,” but rather encourages collaboration between artists from different backgrounds. Aside from hosting exhibitions, MOWA aims to establish China’s first Women’s Art Archive and Research Center.

Bernard Chan to Chair West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

On September 23, Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District Authority announced Bernard Chan as the new chairman of its board. He will commence a two-year term on October 1, succeeding Henry Tang, who chaired the board for 11 years. A board member since 2016 and vice chairman since 2022, Chan pledged in a statement to “lead West Kowloon Cultural District toward a new milestone.” Culture secretary Rosanna Law expressed confidence in Chan’s leadership, noting that his “rich experience in administrative management and public services, as well as his extensive business network” would advance the cultural development of the district. Alongside Chan’s appointment, senior counsel Jat Sew-tong has been named vice-chairman, and executive council member Eliza Chan joined the board.

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Unveils Commission by Ammon Ngakuru

On September 27, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, the largest art institution in New Zealand, will debut a newly commissioned sculptural installation, titled Three Scenes, by Māori artist Ammon Ngakuru on its outdoor terrace. Part of the gallery’s ongoing support for emerging New Zealand artists, the commission features four sculptural objects that weave together personal memories and cultural symbols, addressing the displacement of Māori-owned mills by colonial industry in the 19th-century Waikato. In a press release, Ngakuru said: “The opportunity to respond to the North Terrace at the gallery and have the support to work at a larger scale has allowed me to engage in a considered way, extending ideas and materials that have been crucial to my practice.”

Sebastian Fahey Joins Art Intelligence Global as Chief Operating Officer, Asia

On September 22, Art Intelligence Global (AIG) announced the appointment of Sebastian Fahey as chief operating officer, Asia, effective this month. Founded in 2021 by former Sotheby’s veterans Amy Cappellazzo and Yuki Terase, AIG is an art advisory firm with dual headquarters in New York and Hong Kong. In the newly created role, Fahey will oversee AIG’s business operations across Asia and spearhead new strategies to broaden the firm’s client solutions worldwide. Fahey brings extensive leadership experience and a strong background in business development, deal structuring, and finance. He spent two decades at Sotheby’s, including five years living and working in Asia as managing director, overseeing all business and deal activities in the region.