Visual Artists

FANTASTIC PLANET

Last year we had the pleasure of welcoming five giant illuminated bunnies much to your delight, the first-timers of Maroochy. I am so excited that Amanda has accepted our invitation to join us again at MMVAF16 with a specially co-commissioned light installation: Fantastic Planet.

For the first time ever internationally, in its entirety, this larger-than-life artwork will be exhibited in our Vis Art Park this September 10 before orbiting around the world to land with our friends somewhere between fantasy and reality at Signal Festival. Fantastic Planet indeed.

A total of five humanoids in various formations of inquisitivity will be peering down at all your crazy wonder and frivolous antics (what a sight we must be!). Don't be afraid; let your curiosity prevail. Like all manner of creatures who witness our time here on this Wonderous Rock hurtling through the universe, these peaceful humanoids are here to observe you in your natural state: carefree and in tune in The Ampi. 

THE WONDER GAMES

Mic Black is an experimental creative technologist exploring mass participation through art and technology using creative lighting and Absurd Interactivity. We’re hooked. 

The Wonder Games brings you, human, into the retro arcade games we all know and love. Double whammy. 

Compete in the Vis Art Park. 

MICANAUT

We're delighted Bertie is back showcasing her work on none other then the Ampi stage, front and centre. Get up close to MICANAUT. 

From small compositions to massive contemporary murals, Australian-based artist Gus goes beyond creative boundaries to bring you a special live street art installation for MMVAF16. 

Over the years Gus has exhibited nationwide and abroad, receiving accolades in the form of art awards and steadily producing commissioned works for private clients including Brisbane City Council and Queensland Rail.

Gus is particularly interested in the diversity and intrigue of people, for which I am sure MMVAF provides the perfect setting to explore you fantastical beings. By focussing on developing relatable concepts, Gus continually challenges audiences’ perceptions of themselves.

That’s all we can say, so for now we’ll let Gus do what he does best. Stay Tuned. 

Creating images of otherworldly beings and environments that exist somewhere between reality and the dream world, how could we pass up the opportunity to exhibit Zoe's street art installation at MMVAF 2016?

Zoe is an interdisciplinary artist exploring primarily a drawing practice, which also extends into painting, street art, installation, performance, sculpture, site-specific works and video. With recent solo exhibitions in Melbourne (Strange Neighbour) and Brisbane (the Brisbane Powerhouse) as well as exhibiting regularly across Australia and overseas, Zoe brings to life creatures in their displaced, mutant forms that are often a combination of part-animal, part-plant and part-human features. We can't wait!

Beautiful, sinister, bold, call it what you will, Gimiks Born pieces are a narrative carved out of a storybook and brought to life with tangible art.

His pieces leave a sense of anticipation, "what's going to happen next?”  It’s literally like looking at the page of a graphic novel, scaled to the size of a building.  His work often features animals, escaped from an enchanted, mystical forest.  Animals that are somehow spiritually connected to humans and the earth (where ever that might be). 

Inspired by comics, graphic novels, anime and video games, this father of two was born a humble artistic Jedi.  He has painted murals in Australia (where he is currently based), internationally and he has collaborated with some of world's best street artists.

Thom Stuart is a Sunshine Coast-based painter and printmaker, whose work draws heavily on the artist’s experience surrounded by both natural and urban environments.

With an established practice in both the studio and street, his work is entrenched in the visuals of his youth, including graffiti culture, surfing iconography and musical sub cultures such punk and hip-hop.

Whether large or small, Thom’s work always aims to bring a joyful mash-up of colour and form of visual delight. Perfect for the festival green. 

Ochid is an Australian-based designer, originally from Swatow in China. Inspired by graffiti culture of over a decade, his work spans from large scale street art to smaller installation projects and exhibitions in Asia. With his background as an exhibition designer and landscape architect, he uses colour and shape as a cross-cultural language to play with our relationship with space and what defines it.

In his own words: "Street art is a powerful and direct way to visualise my thinking, just like Bruce Lee’s ‘Jeet Kune Do’."

There's something poetic in the marrying of creator and creation. And these Beautiful Masks, Made By You, are the perfect opportunity for you to become part of the MMVAF open-air exhibition. 

This year, we’re giving away a coveted Golden Ticket to the luckiest and craftiest mask wearer at the festival, judged by the Almighty himself – Mr Wintercroft of the Isle of Great Britain. 

On September 10, tag us in your Wintercroft mask with @mmvafestival and #MaroochyGoldenTicket, and let the Best Mask stand out! Remember: dress to impress, this is the Maker himself we’re talking about here, judging you from up above (the Equator). 

DISK WORLD

When rock and roll dreams faded in the early 2000’s Wayne focused on his day job as a web programmer, which morphed into being the director of a successful creative agency based on the Sunshine Coast. He tells us agency life is exciting but the desire to create for the pure joy of expression still runs deep. Peaking his interest, we’ve asked him to use his skills and experience as a programmer to turn the unreal into the real through generative art. Inspired by the likes of Sergio Albiac and Eno Henze, Disk World, a digital installation, will premiere at MMVAF16 in the Vis Art Park.