BEAUTY, COLOUR, AND EIGHT LEGS: New exhibition opens at QVMAG
Visitors of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery this weekend will enjoy the first look of the latest touring exhibition to visit Launceston Maria Fernanda Cardoso: Spiders of Paradise.
On tour from the Museum of Contemporary Australia Art (MCA Australia), Launceston marks the latest stop in the national tour of this incredible show celebrating the natural beauty and wonder of the Australian Maratus spider.
Maria Fernanda Cardoso is a Colombian Australian artist who is internationally renowned for using unconventional and organic materials to consider nature and its links to culture and science. Using sculpture, photography, installation, video and performance, her work examines the connections and tensions between society and the natural world.
The MCA Australia touring exhibition of Spiders of Paradise presents Cardoso’s ongoing photographic project on the captivating tiny 3-5mm sized Australian Maratus spider. Engaging the creative terrain between science, art and nature, this exhibition celebrates the remarkable beauty of the natural world and reveals the sophisticated lives of creatures that are usually unseen.
For Cardoso the Maratus spider holds a special place in the natural ecosystem. She says, ‘The Maratus spiders of Australia are the most colourful, flamboyant, sexy, and charming spiders on the planet. To me, their use of colour, gesture, sound and movement makes them sophisticated visual and performing artists. They are also the smallest performers I know of, on average about 3-5mm in size, smaller than a grain of rice.’
City of Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood said the exhibition was an incredible up-close look into the world of the Maratus spider for all ages to enjoy.
“I can’t wait to see visitors of all ages exploring the photography on display – it's seriously incredible to see these spiders up close and in high resolution detail,” Mayor Garwood said.
“I love to see new touring shows like this opening at QVMAG because it means we’re bringing the best of the best from across Australia to our backyard right here in Launnie.”
Cardoso has worked with renowned scientific imager Geoff Thompson and entomologist Andy Wang from the Queensland Museum, who specialise in deep focus microphotography and microscopic specimen preparation to create these large-scale photographs. Each photographic image is comprised of over 1000 individual photos which together reveal the spiders’ nuanced colour and form in stunning detail.
Accompanying the suite of framed photographic works is a large-scale immersive projection of Cardoso’s acclaimed video On the Origins of Art I-II (2016), a work co-owned by MCA Australia and Tate through its International Joint Acquisition Program. This work presents the complex courtship ritual of the Maratus, a sophisticated communication through dance and vibration, which culminates in the display of their colourful patterns.
QVMAG Director Jonathan McBurnie said the touring exhibition was a brilliant addition to the institution’s annual program.
“When the opportunity presented itself for us to consider welcoming this exhibition to Launceston, we knew this experience would be a hit for our visitors,” McBurnie said.
“This exhibition beautifully blends science and art into a display that captures your full attention from the moment you walk in.
“Cardoso’s photography is phenomenal – I look forward to watching out audiences explore this immersive display and getting lost in the details of these beautiful spiders through larger-than-life displays.”
Maria Fernanda Cardoso: Spiders of Paradise is on display at the Queen Victoria Museum at Inveresk (2 Invermay Road, Launceston) from 5 September to 22 November 2026 with free entry.