Gold Coast Culture: Here & Now

The latest exhibition at HOTA extends far beyond the walls of the gallery to encompass many different kinds of creativity.  Featuring the work of 42 artists with a connection to the city, Here & Now: Gold Coast Triennial is a tribute to our evolving arts scene and HOTA’s signature move of making creativity a multi-faceted experience spanning visual and culinary art, food, sight, sound, colour, texture and taste.

We talk to one of the exhibition’s commissioned artists and HOTA’s artistically-minded Executive Chef to dig a little deeper into the Gold Coast’s creative side.

About Here & Now: The Gold Coast Triennial

In 2021 when the brand new $60 million HOTA Gallery opened its doors, the first major exhibition was Solid Gold, Artists From Paradise - a celebration of local creative culture.  In 2024, with Here & Now - this second iteration marks a triennial exhibition of artworks from 42 artists with local connections. Spanning generations, personal histories and career experience, Here & Now is a tribute to the depth and dynamism of the Gold Coast.

The Gold Coast has become a breeding ground for creativity and the evolution of the HOTA precinct and the city’s growing cultural scene, gives us an opportunity to connect on a deeper level with local artists, their incredible work and Gold Coast culture. 

Larissa Warren - Ratbag Sutdios

Larissa Warren was born in Miami and now lives on Mount Tamborine, with her ceramics studio in an underground bunker on her property. She’s an established ceramicist, researcher and art teacherwho’s fascinated by the transformative and technical properties of her ceramic materials. 

As part of her creative process, Larissa sources raw, wild clay from the surrounding environment. For her work in Here & Now, she created 12 pairs of vessels -  the clay for each pair has been unearthed from one of 12 local unique locations across the Gold Coast, mainly school and colleges she’s taught at. Combining organic textures, patterns and coloured clays into the surfaces of her ceramics, Larissa creates vessels that weave together time, personal history, and place.

Having grown up on the Gold Coast and taught many arts students, she’s seen the evolution of the city’s culture and is thrilled with the opportunities that exist for both artists, and lovers of the arts. 

What changes have  you seen in the Gold Coast’s arts and culture, as an artist yourself and an arts teacher?

The first time I exhibited at what was then known as the Gold Coast Art Gallery (the precinct now known as HOTA) was in 1995 at Energies Exhibition, which is a collection of works from current Year 12 art students. That really meant a lot back then. 

I was teaching and making art, but got a bit out of the loop when I was raising my kids. A couple of years ago, some younger Gold Coast ceramicists, Sam Leighton-Dore and Michelle Le Plastrier, invited me for a coffee. They opened my eyes to another generation of creativity here. There are studios happening in Surfers and so many exciting things going on. It was so exciting to see how things are gaining momentum. There’s a different attitude towards creativity on the Gold Coast now. You don’t need to go to Brisbane for culture - we have our own. I’m so proud of HOTA. I have a sense of ownership over it. I feel like it’s all of us, it’s part of us.

This image and ceramics above: Larissa Warren, Gathered Shadows, 2024. HOTA Gallery, installation view. Commissioned for Here and Now: Gold Coast Triennial. Image courtesy of HOTA. Photo: Aaron Chapman.

Can you talk about your consultation process with the local Indigenous community as part of your creative process?

I worked closely with Yugambeh Regional Aboriginal Corporation Alliance (YRACA) and I’m very grateful to Uncle John Graham, who spent a lot of time with me. It was really important because I was working with Country, with regard to working with anything to do with the land. I talked with him about my concept and just spent time understanding the importance of the geology and the makeup of the Gold Coast landscape. 

I actually worked with Uncle John many years ago as a student of Queensland College of Art in the 90s so it was really nice seeing him again - a full circle moment. I deeply appreciate his time and insights. I’ll only work with local clays if I’ve had those consultations. It’s out of respect but it’s also a greater understanding. It takes time but it’s a very valuable element of the process for me. 

Apart from exploring the Gallery, what other experience at HOTA what would you recommend for visitors?

HOTA makes art accessible for everyone and there are opportunities to meet curators or artists who are involved and get a deeper insight into the works. The Exhibitionist Bar on the rooftop of the gallery creates a new cocktail for each new exhibition, and at Palette, HOTA’s fine dining restaurant, they create a tasting menu with dishes inspired by the artworks. 

Dayan Hartill-Law (HOTA’s Executive Chef) spent some time talking with the six commissioned artists. He asked all about our experiences on the Gold Coast around food. He wanted to pick up on scents and fragrances in our environment that he could re-interpret in a dish. On Tamborine Mountain where I live, mint grows wild and very prolifically. When my husband mows the garden, it’s filled with the strong smell of mint.

He designed a dessert based on that - a choc mint ice cream extravaganza. My career can only go downhill from here after having a dessert made in my honour! I also designed the ceramics the dish is served in.So I’d highly recommend combining your visit to HOTA Gallery with an unforgettable dining experience at Palette.  

Dayan Hartill-Law - Executive Chef at HOTA

(Image: Dayan, and the dessert he created for the Here & Now Tasting Menu with inspiration from Larrissa's art.)

HOTA's Executive Chef Dayan Hartill-Law has trained and worked in some of the best restaurants internationally and in Australia including Quay, Dinner by Heston, The Press Club and Palazzo Versace. Dayan and his team in the kitchen will extend your cultural experience to culinary creativity, taking inspiration from major exhibitions to demonstrate how naturally food and art blend together. 

Here he answers a few questions about how food and art have a lot in common when it comes to creativity, and how he was inspired by Larrissa’s work. 

How does working with food at HOTA differ from other restaurants you’ve worked at? 

The whole precinct is all dedicated to creativity and it’s exciting to know that culinary art is held in such high regard. To be able to have Palette stand symbiotically alongside performing arts, and visual arts, and to integrate the three together is really quite an amazing thing to be a part of. 

It’s such an inspirational thing for me now, being permanently surrounded by art; the way that certain pieces will spark an inspirational thought or a movement, it is a really great privilege to be surrounded by it every day.

What elements of Larissa’s artwork inspired you for the Here & Now tasting menu? 

Larissa’s work is absolutely stunning. We couldn’t go past it and wanted to lean into it. Speaking with Larissa, she remarked upon a few things that make up her food journey on the Gold Coast - things that we were really drawn to. 

The first is eating ice cream on the beach, and mint choc chip being her favourite flavour. She also talked about working in her studio on the weekend when her husband mows the lawn. Wild mint grows over the top of her underground studio, so while she’s working this wonderful fragrance wafts in. 

We worked with a local chocolatier to create a design then had it printed it onto the chocolate. That worked perfectly with Larissa’s with the beautiful vibrant colours in Larissa’s ceramics. Then inside there we’ve some creme au chocolate mint, a choc mint crumb, a mint mousse, a mint gel and we top with a mint choc chip ice cream and a garnish of mint stem snow around the outside.

Visiting HOTA Gallery? You can also… 

- Fill up your basket with fresh produce and tasty local delicacies at HOTA Farmers & Artisan Markets on Sunday mornings, 6 - 11.30am.

- Experience a live concert at Outdoor Stage - this incredible open air venue regularly hosts big name acts and electrifying events and has capacity for up to 4000 people.

- Pack a picnic and lay down a rug by the lake for a cruisy afternoon in the sunshine and wander the grounds of Evandale Parklands, exploring the Sculpture Trail.

- Catch the HOPO Ferry over from Surfers Paradise - an excellent way to travel to HOTA.

- Browse quirky items from enamel pins to postcards, unique gifts, keepsakes, jewellery and specially commissioned works from featured artists at the HOTA Shop on Level 1 of the Gallery.

- See a production at HOTA Theatre by touring national and international theatre companies.

- Head to HOTA Cineram to see an eclectic curation of art-house films from across the globe. 

- End the week on a good note with Fridays on the Lawn. From 4 - 8pm enjoy free music from local musicians with beverages available from the Lawn Bar.

Want more? Check out everything happening at HOTA.