Whimsical Australian illustrator Megan McKean has brought her light touch to the river city to create Museum of Brisbane’s new exhibition Bristopia. In her largest artwork commission to date, Megan has created a six metre wide illustration of the Brisbane skyline for Bristopia which is brought to life with animation to reveal quirky facts about some of the city’s favourite landmarks.
Museum of Brisbane Director Renai Grace said when she approached Megan to add Brisbane to her list of illustrated cities, Megan jumped at the opportunity. “Her signature style of bright colours, strong line work and hidden details within the artwork perfectly match Brisbane’s naturally bold colour palette and casual lifestyle, and the resulting illustration is a beautiful depiction of our city,” Renai said. “Visitors will have a great time looking closely to find landmarks and identify their own favourite places.”
Renai said the exhibition was fully interactive with touch screens allowing visitors to create their own Bristopia using Megan’s illustrated components, such as Queenslanders, parks, libraries, CityCats and jacaranda trees, even the brushturkey has been included. “While the artwork has a sense of whimsy, the intent is serious as we are asking people to take the time to consider what their ideal Brisbane would look like and to share that with us and the wider community via social media,” she said. “This exhibition gives our audience a fun way to contribute to the conversation about our future and explore what they value about our city, its community and environment.” Visitors can also add comments about their perfect Brisbane to cloud shaped stickers which will be added to a collective sticker wall, images of which will be shared with Brisbane City Council’s Connected Communities team regularly.
Museum of Brisbane has also collaborated with Megan to create a new product range to complement Bristopia.
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