Art fills the Queenscliff Pier

THE Art on the Pier exhibition has again been installed along the Queenscliff Pier, with about 150 entries vying for honours in next year’s Queenscliff Art Prize.

The annual exhibition brings together a broad range of works, such as portraiture, mixed media, digital art, photography and print works, from both emerging and established artists across Australia.

Each of the works is printed on canvas and sandwiched between two reusable clear sheets of polycarbonate, offering visitors to the outdoor exhibition a gallery experience that is also environmentally-friendly.

The works will remain on display until the end of April, with judging for the Queenscliff Art Prize to begin in February and winners to be announced in March.

The winner of the 2025 Queenscliff Art Prize will be announced in March, with judging expected to begin in February.

Art on the Pier curator Chris MacLeod encouraged locals to do themselves a favour and head down to the pier to view the exhibition and celebrated the “sense of goodwill and joy” it creates in the community each year.

“It’s a lovely project and it just sits so comfortably on the Queenscliff Pier,” he said.

“It doesn’t detract from the historic feel of the Queenscliff Pier and once the exhibition is over, it just returns back to how it has been for so long. I speak to many people on the pier and ask them how they enjoy the art, and the feedback’s fantastic.”

Now in its fourth year, the Art on the Pier initiative has grown steadily in size and is now complemented by exhibitions at the South Melbourne Pier, Rosebud Pier and, more recently, at the Chateau Yering Hotel, a heritage property located in the heart of the Yarra Valley.

Next year, the exhibition will also expand to the grounds of Wallington’s Oakdene Vineyard, situated in Grubb Road, for a three-month stint beginning on April 1.

About 150 artworks have been installed along the pier.

Mr MacLeod said extending the exhibition to a local vineyard through the autumn and winter months ensured more people were able to view and enjoy the artworks.

“A great many of the artists that we work with are from the Greater Geelong, Bellarine, Surf Coast and I think they’ll be really pleased to have their work exhibited within their region.”

While many of the works displayed on the Queenscliff Pier will also grace the coming Manor Suite @ Oakdene exhibition, submissions will remain open until the end of March next year.

For more information, head to artonthepier.com.au