The State Library of Queensland will present a new exhibition exploring one of life’s most universal yet often taboo subjects — death.
Dearly Departed: death in life examines how Queenslanders talk about and experience death across both public and private realms, asking the central question: what is a good death?
Drawing on the State Library’s extensive collections, the exhibition explores how social, cultural, spiritual and historical forces have shaped attitudes to death and dying in Queensland from the mid-1800s to today. Through historical records, contemporary stories and immersive artistic experiences, visitors are invited to reflect on funerary traditions, religious and spiritual beliefs, palliative care and capital punishment.
The exhibition also reveals the personal impact of major historical events — including pandemics, epidemics, wars and tragedies — showing how collective loss has shaped communities across the state.
The traditions and practices of culturally diverse communities are explored throughout the exhibition, offering insight into how people around the world honour and mourn loved ones. These perspectives reveal vastly different understandings of life’s final chapter and the ways memory, ritual and storytelling continue to shape our relationships with death.
Highlights include rare historical collection items such as sympathy cards, mourning garments and jewellery, undertakers’ ledgers and diaries, alongside historical death records that provide pathways into the lives of Queenslanders from the past.
The exhibition also features Untitled (Death Song), a sound installation by multidisciplinary Quandamooka artist Megan Cope, and the remarkable story of Queensland’s first bandmaster, Professor Andrew Seal, who reportedly communicated a piece of music to his daughter during a séance in 1911 — a composition now brought to life by a contemporary Queensland jazz musician.
Public programs accompanying the exhibition include a Death Café, offering a welcoming space for open conversations about mortality, as well as panel discussions and workshops exploring digital legacy and the management of online accounts and digital assets after death.
Queensland Minister for Education and the Arts John-Paul Langbroek said the exhibition takes a thoughtful approach to a universal human experience, drawing on the State Library’s collection to share artworks, artefacts and historical records that explore death and the unknown.
State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald AM said the exhibition encourages visitors to reflect on mortality in a safe and sensitive environment.
“Through history, art and emotion, the exhibition challenges audiences to reflect on what it means to live well, die well and honour those who came before us,” she said.
Dearly Departed: death in life reframes death not simply as an ending, but as a profound and enduring part of Queensland’s living story.
