On the Lawn with Craig & Karl

Celebrate the opening of Craig & Karl: Double Vision as the Cairns Art Gallery Court House Lawn comes alive in colour with inflatable artworks, live DJs, games and demonstrations and more!

As part of the action-packed Cairns Festival Calendar, this free event offers fun for all the family. Be one of the first to be immersed in the rainbow world of Craig & Karl: Double Vision, which will transform our heritage Court House Building into a playful art installation. This renowned creative duo’s works will extend to the lawn space, which will be dotted with “Mateys” colourful, inflatable characters, bringing the space to life.

The lawn will explode into a kaleidoscope of activity–VOiiD collective will be roaming, dancing and performing and the collective's DJ Bcharre–who blends dance, sound, wearable art and visual theatre–will be on the decks. Adelaide DJ Ruby Chew will take us later into the night and onto the dance floor spinning a smorgasbord of old and new hits. Ammo aka Hoopsie Dizzie will be running a hula hoop playspace, where both kids and adults alike can spin their way into hooping stardom.

Grab a bite from the Hungry Nomad food van and enjoy a drink from the bar while soaking up the atmosphere. 

Craig & Karl: Double Vision

One of Australia's most internationally recognised design duos–Craig and Karl–bring their vibrant, large-scale visual world to Cairns Art Gallery, following acclaimed seasons in Brisbane and major public art projects across Hong Kong, London and New York. 

Craig & Karl's large-scale public interventions span the globe, from Canary Wharf in London and Times Square in New York, to a playable public garden installation in Hong Kong, and now, for the first time, the Cairns Art Gallery Court House. The duo have shaped the branding of some of the largest brands in the world, including Adidas, Apple, Ikea, Nike and Sephora.

Double Vision is Craig and Karl's first regional Queensland show and will see the Cairns Art Gallery Court House building–a heritage building and former Court House–first built in 1921–completely transformed by their colour and joy.

Craig & Karl’s dynamic aesthetic employs the artists’ signature messages of humour, joy and optimism to explore themes of community, identity, imagination and love. Their beginnings continue to inform their practice, regularly incorporating homages to the sun-drenched Queensland lifestyle that first inspired their careers.

Craig & Karl: Double Vision is a Griffith University Art Museum touring exhibition, co-curated by Angela Goddard and Carrie McCarthy. 

VOiiiD Collective

VOiiiD Collective is a force of creative chaos, empowering independent artists to unleash raw, vulnerable, and unforgettable stories. Fusing dance, sound, wearable art, and visual theatre, we create hyper-sensory experiences that challenge perspectives and shake realities. Built with sustainability and inclusivity at every step, each creation is a recycled rebellion, 80% trash and 100% unapologetic.

DJ Bcharre

Bcharre (بشري) is the DJ project of Brisbane (Meanjin) based artist, musician, poet and storyteller Youssef Taouk. Drawing from the hypnotic pulse of underground club culture and the rich musical traditions of the Middle East, Bcharre’s sets move between deep electronic grooves, leftfield rhythms, psychedelic textures and the raw energy of the dancefloor.

DJ Ruby Chew

Ruby Chew is a DJ and Artist based on Kaurna Country (Adelaide), with an unquenchable love for music. Wielding a huge catalogue of sounds, her M.O. combines the classics tunes we all love mixed with soon to be new favourites. She’s known for creating atmosphere, bringing the fun, party vibes and getting booties shakin’. From funk, soul, rock ‘n roll, blues, disco, boom bap, to house, new wave, pop, 90’s and naughties, she’s got it and she ain’t afraid to use it! 

Hula Hoop Playspace- Guided by Ammo

Drop into your body and throw some funky shapes with hula hoops, guided by the energetic Ammo aka Hoopsie Dizzy. Ammo will teach hoop skills and lead playful games to bring out your inner spinner! Explore new ways to swoop, sway and sashay with plastic circles while the DJ drops some beats. All hoops provided. Absolutely no experience needed. This activity is accessible to anyone with a body. (Young people must be accompanied by an adult.)

Program

5–9pm                    Craig & Karl: Double Vision in Court House Building

5–7pm                    DJ Bcharre (VOiiiD collective)                    

5–6.30pm                Hoop play on the lawn with Ammo

5-8.30pm                 Roving performances by the VOiiiD collective

7–9pm                     DJ Ruby Chew