A major new public artwork by Torres Strait Islander artist Brian Robinson has been unveiled at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) in Brisbane.
Titled Floriate, the four-metre-high bronze sculpture was officially launched on Friday 6 March 2026 with a smoking ceremony by Tribal Experiences at the newly opened Glasshouse Theatre. The site sits on the traditional lands of the Turrbal and Jagera Peoples.
Robinson is a nationally and internationally recognised visual artist of the Kala Lagaw Ya and Wuthathi language groups of the Torres Strait and Cape York Peninsula. Responding to the architectural materials of the Glasshouse Theatre and the diverse natural environments of Queensland, Floriate celebrates the State’s unique flora and the interconnected landscapes of the Seven Watersheds.
Positioned at the entrance of the new theatre, the sculpture forms part of a major expansion of the Queensland Cultural Centre precinct. QPAC Chief Executive Rachel Healy said the addition of Robinson’s work places the artist within one of Australia’s largest and busiest cultural hubs as Brisbane moves toward hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The curving form of the sculpture reflects the river systems that connect South Brisbane to regions across Queensland including the South East, Wallum, Central, Wet Tropics, Murray–Darling, Lake Eyre and Bulloo, and Western Cape and Gulf catchments. Intricately carved native plant forms reference species that have sustained First Nations communities for tens of thousands of years. These elements are combined with Robinson’s distinctive visual language, which draws on ancestral mythology, cultural practices and the marine ecosystems of the Torres Strait.
Floriate was commissioned by QPAC and the Queensland Government as the latest major public sculpture within the Queensland Cultural Centre. The project involved architects Blight Rayner in collaboration with Snøhetta, Urban Art Projects (UAP), and First Nations design agency Blaklash to ensure the artwork reflects a strong connection to Country and integrates with the architectural vision of the new venue.
Natasha Smith, Director of Curatorial at UAP, said the team was proud to collaborate with Robinson on the project, describing Floriate as an extraordinary public artwork that celebrates the heritage of Queensland’s First Nations peoples.
The unveiling of Floriate marks another milestone in Robinson’s career as one of Australia’s leading Torres Strait Islander public artists. His work gained international recognition during the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, where he designed the Athletes’ Parade Track for the Opening Ceremony, viewed by an estimated global television audience of 1.5 billion people.
More recently, Robinson’s work was featured in the Australia Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, and he designed the medallion for the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prize for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge Systems.
Robinson will present a solo exhibition with Onespace Gallery in Brisbane from July to August 2026, with further presentations scheduled for the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and major solo exhibitions at Newcastle Art Gallery, Artspace Mackay and Mossenson Galleries later in the year.
Brian Robinson and Onespace acknowledged the many collaborators involved in delivering the project, including the Queensland Government, Arts Queensland, the Department of Energy and Public Works, QPAC, Blight Rayner and Snøhetta architects, Urban Art Projects (UAP) and Blaklash.
