Queensland gets a Marvel-lous boost

BRISBANE — Travellers to Queensland often view Brisbane as a transit stop en route to the Great Barrier Reef or the Gold Coast, which is a pity as the capital of the Sunshine State is a vibrant city in its own right, with a flourishing arts culture and lively dining and nightlife scenes.

Recently, Queensland upped its hip factor — and that of Brisbane — by tying up with Marvel Studios, creators of the world’s most successful film franchise, to stage Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe at the Queensland Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art (Qagoma) in the capital.

Running exclusively at the venue until Sept 3, it is the largest Marvel exhibition ever to be presented in an art museum, featuring more than 500 items including costumes, props, weapons, concept art, film clips, comic books and never-before-seen set items from Thor: Ragnarok, which was filmed on the Gold Coast.

If you are planning to visit Queensland and need one reason to extend your Brisbane stopover by a day or two, this first-of-its-kind exhibition is it.

500+ Items to Marvel at

Almost every superhero movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) — from 2008’s Iron Man to this year’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 — is featured in the exhibition, which recounts the history of Marvel and how it evolved from comic books to the blockbuster movies we know today.

From the conceptual artwork for the climatic fight scene in Captain America: Civil War (2016) to more than 60 costumes worn by Marvel stars such as Robert Downey Jr, Benedict Cumberbatch and Scarlett Johansson, many of the items either came directly from the Marvel Studios in Los Angeles or from private collections.

A few, such as the much-sought-after Captain America #1 comic book, are rarely showcased outside Hollywood.

Most impressive are the larger-than-life displays. One is the towering, 3m-tall Hulkbuster armoured suit that Iron Man wore to subdue a furious Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).

Another is the never-before-seen set-piece from the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok — the colossal throne room from Norse deity Thor’s home realm of Asgard, which required “the biggest trucks in Queensland” to deliver and “the removal of a wall” to set up, according to Qagoma and Marvel exhibition curator Ms Amanda Slack-Smith.

The Incredible Hulk’s massive bed, which will also be featured in the next instalment of the Thor franchise, is another must-see.

One cool thing about the exhibition is the opportunity to play with interactive elements, such as making on-screen CGI characters such as Iron Man and Baby Groot come to life via your body movements, and superimposing your photo into your favourite Marvel cinematic worlds.

To enhance your Marvel exhibition visit, time it with a curator’s tour (highly recommended) or talks by local comic book artists and film production artisans.

These are scheduled periodically during the exhibition’s run, so do check the Qagoma website for details.

Enrich yourself in the Cultural Precinct

It is best to visit the Marvel exhibition as early in the day as you can, so you can move on to the arts and sciences for the rest of the day.

Located in the South Bank’s Cultural Precinct, Qagoma is one of Australia’s leading institutions in contemporary art, with a focus on artists from Australia, Asia and the Pacific.

The art exhibits are impressive — and free — except for special exhibitions such as the Marvel showcase. There are also dining and shopping options, as well as landscaped gardens, at both venues that are worth checking out.

Also worth a visit is the nearby Queensland Museum. And just like Qagoma, most of the exhibitions here are also free.

Recent highlights include “Lost Creatures”, a section on the dinosaur relics found in Australia and “Michael Benson’s Otherworlds: Visions of Our Solar Systems”, a stunning photographic exhibition of the nine planets (until Jan 2018).

Chill out along the South Bank Parklands

If you are short on time, walk directly to the scenic South Bank Parklands, which lies south of the Cultural Precinct (after the Queensland Performing Arts Centre).

Here, you can enjoy views of the city on a 60m-tall Ferris Wheel, dine al fresco at the many F&B outlets, or just laze on the expansive green lawns (mind the dogs).

You can also hire rollerblades or a bicycle, or even swim at the free facilities at Streets Beach, which even has a fake beach!

At South Bank Quay, a good way to take in more of Brisbane is to take a cruise on board a CityCat ferry (aka a water-taxi) along the Brisbane River, where you can see the various styles of the city’s houses all the way up north to Hamilton, or down south to St Lucia.

There are marvellous things to see and do in Brisbane if you can spare a day or two. Give it a go.

This trip was sponsored by Tourism and Events Queensland and Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art.

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Top 5 Highlights of “Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe” exhibition

1. The Hulkbuster. The gigantic Iron Man armoured suit is the star of the gallery. Also on show are a range of Iron Man’s armoured suits.

2. Asgardian Throne Room. This Queensland-made Thor: Ragnarok set-piece (photo) celebrates the heart of Asgardian power and fills an entire room in the exhibition.

3. Captain America Diorama. This display of Captain America’s elite World War II squad, the Howling Commandos, is modelled after the one depicted in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum exhibit featured in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).

4. Thanos’ Bust. A life-sized fibreglass bust of MCU supervillain Thanos which was primarily used for lighting purposes in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). The character will be the main antagonist in 2018’s much-anticipated Avengers: Infinity War.

5. Spider-Man Mural. This massive mural was exclusively drawn on a wall for the exhibition by Australian comic book artist Wayne Nichols. The friendly neighbourhood web-slinger recently joined the MCU family via Captain America: Civil War and will headline Spider-Man: Homecoming, which opens in Singapore cinemas today.

Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe is on till 3 Sept 2017 in GOMA, Brisbane, Australia. For more info and ticketing details, visit www.qagoma.qld.gov.au