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Find Your Perspective
There's a rumour that we're not a very "artsy" place. Good thing it's just a rumour. Galleries, theatre groups, nostalgia museums, sculpture festivals and indigenous performances just brush the surface of a cultural canvas that goes far deeper. As they say - art is purely a matter of perspective after all. Looking for more inspiration? Check out the cultural highlights of the Gold Coast hinterland.
arts & culture
- Free Event
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From now until 06 Jan 2026
KEN DONE: NO RULES
‘There are no rules. And if there are rules, then you may as well break them.’ – Ken Done Ken Done’s paintings have captured public imagination for more than four decades. As one of Australia’s most recognisable artists, Done is beloved for his bold use of colour and vibrant imagery, resulting in paintings which are exuberant celebrations of the world around him. Done has forged a career unlike any other artist this country has seen, resisting traditional art-world expectations and embracing spontaneity and emotion over rigid technique. At a youthful eighty-five, Ken Done remains true to his personal philosophy – that an artist can and should create their own rules. Ken Done: No Rules features artworks from the 1980s to today which are largely drawn from Done’s personal collection. In his signature optimistic style, he captures the intimacy of his home and garden through to the majestic grandeur of Australia’s reefs, beaches and coastlines that have made Ken Done a household name. The exhibition features an exclusive animation showcasing a selection of Ken Done's iconic paintings, offering visitors a deeper immersion into his vibrant universe. Also included is a selection of outfits from Australian designer duo Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales of Romance Was Born from their 2023 collaborative collection Done Zone. This exhibition is curated in partnership with The Ken Done Gallery, Sydney.
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From now until 26 Nov 2025
ArtVo Illusions Immersive Gallery Experience
Tickets 🎫 Ticket for 1 adult (ages 16+) Highlights 🖼️ Users with a range of interests will enjoy this gallery 🖌️ Become part of the art at the incredible ArtVo Gold Coast General Information 📅 Dates: various dates (select a date during purchase) 🕒 Times: Redeemable during operating hours - Monday–Friday: 10 a.m.– 5 p.m. - Saturday–Sunday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 📍 Location: ArtVo, Robina Town Centre ⏳ Duration: 2 to 4 hours Approx. 👤 Age requirement: 16+ ❓ For this event, all sales are final and tickets can’t be refunded, changed or modified. For more information, please refer to our T&Cs Description Step into a world of optical illusions! ArtVo is an immersive art or ‘trick art’ gallery, the first of its kind in Australia, where you are encouraged to touch the art and become part of the art by taking photographs from designated points on the floors of the gallery. The larger than life murals allow people of all ages to come face to face with wild animals, scale rocky crevasses, and surf the ultimate pipelines. Stretching over 1400 square metres, visitors can walk through a variety of different zones, each with its own spectacular theme. Immerse yourself in the wonderful world of hyper-realistic murals and incredible works of art.
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From now until 26 Nov 2025
Two Prosecutors
Two ProsecutorsAmid the Stalinist purges, a young prosecutor’s pursuit of justice leads him into the heart of a system built on lies and fear.A loyal Bolshevik with a sense of justice, Kornyev seeks out its author, a man brutalised by the secret police, the NKVD. Their meeting sparks a chain of repercussions that carries Kornyev deep into the machinery of Stalin’s regime. Two Prosecutors is the joint highest scored film on the Screen International 2025 Cannes Jury Grid and the winner of the Prix François Chalais.Countries of Origin: France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Ukraine
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24 Nov 2025
Edge Of Life
Edge Of LifeThe doorway to death is the last great frontier in a human life. Intellectually, we all know our lives will end, and yet - in the Western world at least - we act as if death is a mirage, disappearing the closer we move towards it. Two doctors in Australia are using psilocybin to help ease the anguish of their patients at end-of-life, and the results they have seen are truly remarkable. but this visioning tool, like other plant medicines, is not new, it comes from ancient traditions. When the doctors journey to the Amazon to experience traditional medicines for themselves they are confronted by realisations they have no explanation for. Is it possible the world’s oldest cultures have something important to teach us, not just about traditional medicines, but about death itself? Renowned Emmy Award-winning Australian artist/filmmaker Lynette Wallworth (Tender, AFF 2013) died and was revived when she was 11. Edge of Life is her next groundbreaking documentary offering a rare and deeply moving journey into how ancient knowledge and modern science can come together to reframe end-of-life care. With breathtaking cinematography and intimate access to patients, Australian practitioners and healers, this film is a spiritual, emotional, and scientific exploration of life, death, and the healing power of nature.Country Of Origin: Australia.
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From now until 26 Nov 2025
Wicked: For Good
Wicked: For GoodNow demonized as the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba lives in exile in the Ozian forest, while Glinda resides at the palace in Emerald City, reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, she'll need to reunite with Glinda to transform herself, and all of Oz, for good.Country Of Origin: USA.
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From now until 24 Nov 2025
The Travellers
The TravellersThe Travellers is a poignant, funny and heartwarming family story from acclaimed filmmaker Bruce Beresford. Stephen Seary, a charismatic and successful stage designer, returns to his small hometown in Australia to say goodbye to his dying mother. What was to be a quick trip descends into chaos, drama, and at times downright funny moments as Stephen navigates family responsibilities, a difficult relationship with his father, old friends & past lovers, all while trying to return to Europe for a major opera contract. Country Of Origin: Australia
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From now until 02 Mar 2026
A Bigger View
Embark on a journey of epic proportions as you immerse yourself in monumental works of art from the National Gallery of Australia (NGA). Made possible through the Australian Government's Sharing the National Collection initiative, this exhibition brings together masterpieces from the NGA alongside major works from our very own collection.Spanning decades and continents, each epic in scale and subject, these artworks demonstrate the various and unique approaches artists take to the landscape.A highlight for visitors will be two artworks created by Henri Matisse (1869 -1954), one of Europe's greatest twentieth-century modernist artists. Accompanying Matisse's uniquely abstracted views of sea and sky forms is an extraordinary work by senior Australian artist, Imants Tillers, presenting a vision of the Australian landscape inspired by Eugene Von Guérard's 1863 masterpiece North-east view from the northern top of Mount Kosciusko, seen here together for the first time.These works will be complemented by stunning works from HOTA's own collection. Uluru by Pintupi artist Long Tom Tjapanangka brings a First Nations perspective of Australia's biggest landmark to the exhibition, and a stunning hinterland painting by beloved Australian artist Wiliam Robinson invites contemplation of the natural world around us.Prepare to be awestruck by the grandeur of these works, as you explore a bigger view.
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24 Nov 2025
APSA: Papa
PapaA 15-year-old boy murders his mother and sister. The father, Nin Yuen, returns to his cafe, haunted by memories of a once-happy family: his wife preparing breakfast, his son playing video games, and his daughter caring for their calico cat. Yuen finds himself unable to hate the living or forget the dead. As they confront life’s cruelty, will Yuen and his son’s strained relationship ever find redemption? Nominated for Best Performance (Sean Lau) in the 18th Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
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24 Nov 2025
APSA: Village Rockstars 2
Village Rockstars 2In a charming village, a teenage girl passionately pursues her musical dream. However, life’s harsh realities challenge her innocence. As she faces these trials, she embarks on a journey to rediscover the profound connection between music and life, seeking a new harmony in the symphony of her dreams. Nominated for Best Youth Film in the 18th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and screening with an in-person Q&A with director Rima Das.
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From now until 06 Jan 2026
HOTA Collects: Metamorphosis
HOTA Collects: MetamorphosisArtists have been transforming found materials through cutting, assembling and pasting for centuries. Processes such as collage and assemblage flourished in Australia from the mid-twentieth century, with artists repurposing the discarded detritus of modern life to create new meaning. Through collage and photomontage, artists reconfigure images to examine themes such as feminism, environmentalism, and the connection between self and place. Metamorphosis brings together work by more than thirty Australian artists from the HOTA Collection, who have used these transformative methods to explore ideas of identity, memory and perception. The exhibition title draws from the words of Colin Lanceley, a key figure in the development of assemblage art in Australia, who observed: ‘The transformation of materials, the metamorphosis, informed by a poetic sensibility, is the key to creativity.’ Included in the exhibition are works by Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Rosalie Gascoigne, James Gleeson, Robert Klippel, Julie Rrap, Sally Smart, Ruby Spowart, Brett Whiteley, Judith Wright and Jemima Wyman. Image: Ruby Spowart, South Stradbroke triptych 1992, silver gelatin prints, collaged. Collection, HOTA Gallery. Gifted by the citizens of the Gold Coast to future generations 1993 © The artist’s estate
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From now until 01 Feb 2026
Cloudy with a Chance of Art
Cloudy with a Chance of ArtEyes to the sky! HOTA’s Children’s Gallery is a place for daydreaming and creativity. The sky is the limit to your imagination, so we encourage families to look up and see some amazing artworks by Australian artists - historical and contemporary - that also look to the sky for inspiration. A curated display of cloud artworks will set the scene for play and creativity ‘beneath the clouds’ in the Children’s Gallery. Proudly supported by Experience Gold Coast Image: Guan Wei Sky 1999, synthetic polymer paint on canvas. Collection, HOTA Gallery. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Guan Wei 2013 © Guan Wei
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25 Nov 2025
Carousel (1956)
Carousel (1956)Based on the lauded Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical, this film follows the romance of Billy Bigelow (Gordon MacRae), a charming carousel barker, and Julie Jordan (Shirley Jones), a pretty worker from a nearby mill. When the attractive young couple gets married, they also both find themselves unemployed, which puts a strain on their relationship. When Billy finds out that Julie is pregnant, he resorts to extreme measures to get money, a decision that leads to tragedy. Country Of Origin: USA.
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25 Nov 2025
APSA: 10s Across the Borders
10s Across the BordersIf the world doesn't accept you and your kind, trailblaze a world that does. Inspired by the Black and Latinx underground Ballroom culture of New York, Sun, Teddy and Xyza create Ballroom communities in Southeast Asia as safe havens from homophobia, transphobia, colour discrimination and HIV stigma. Sun integrates Ballroom into his creative language as a performance artist, while Teddy and Xyza journey to Ballroom's source in New York City, meeting the icons and pioneers who are their parents from afar. Nominated for Best Documentary Film in the 18th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and screening in an evening gala event with director Chan Sze-Wei and producer Alemberg Ang in attendance. Please note: this event is externally ticketed through APSA.
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25 Nov 2025
APSA: It Was Just An Accident
It Was Just An AccidentWhat begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences.Nominated for Best Film and Best Director in the 18th Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
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25 Nov 2025
APSA: The Square
The SquareIsak Borg is First Secretary of the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang, so is constantly under surveillance and scrutiny. Borg has been secretly dating Bok-joo, a local traffic officer. They know their time is limited, so they cherish their secret meetings. One day, after a shady looking man visits their secret meeting spot, Bok-joo suddenly disappears. Borg searches for Bok-joo and becomes suspicious of his interpreter, Lee Myeong-jun. Nominated for Best Animated Film in the 18th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and screening with an in-person Q&A with director Kim Bo-sol.
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25 Nov 2025
TINK - The Magic is Calling
TINK - The Magic is CallingTINK – The Magic is Calling - Join us in Pixie Hollow for NAPA’s 2025 End of Year Dance Concert, TINK – The Magic is Calling. Inspired by the story of Tinker Bell, this enchanting production follows Tink’s journey of discovery as she learns that the greatest magic of all comes from believing in yourself. Featuring dazzling performances from our talented students across dance, musical theatre, acrobatics and vocal ensembles, audiences will be transported to the world of fairies, friendship and imagination. From the joyful chaos of the Spring Festival to the heartwarming finale, TINK celebrates creativity, courage and the light that shines within us all. Experience the sparkle, the laughter, and the magic - because when we work together and stay true to who we are… magic happens!
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Experience Gold Coast acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are situated, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing connections to the lands, waters and their extended communities throughout Southeast Queensland.