Chihuly’s Australian Debut Blooms In Adelaide Until April 2025

Looking for an excuse to visit Australia (as if one needs an excuse!)? Or maybe you want to combine an interest in art with a love for travel, or mix your passion for plants with a yearning for outdoor art? Well, pack your bags because Chihuly in the Botanic Garden is coming to the Adelaide Botanic Garden in Adelaide, Australia from September 27, 2024 to April 29, 2025. This highly anticipated exhibition marks the Australian debut of Dale Chihuly’s stunning large-scale glass art installations.

The Adelaide-exclusive, Australian-first Chihuly in the Botanic Garden exhibition will include two new pieces by one of the world’s most acclaimed artists, Dale Chihuly, and also feature an amazing collection of 15 large-scale hand-blown glass art installations. This eagerly awaited showcase kicks off with an array of events, offering both complimentary and paid experiences for visitors to enjoy.

Debuting alongside the other renowned installations from Chihuly’s that have previously appeared at major garden and museum exhibitions worldwide, Glacier Ice and Lapis Chandelier (2024) and Jet and Crimson Fiori (2024) are two brand-new, Adelaide-exclusive artworks crafted specifically with their distinctive South Australian environment in mind.

“For the first major outdoor showcase of Dale Chihuly’s work in Australia and the wider southern hemisphere, you couldn’t pick a more magnificent natural setting to stage it in or a more magical time of the year in South Australia to launch,” said Zoe Bettison, South Australian Minister for Tourism. “Spring in Adelaide Botanic Garden is glorious and, as the days grow longer and warmer, and the seasons ebb and flow, audiences Australia-wide will have reason to keep returning to our vibrant capital city to experience these incredible creations in entirely new ways.”

During the day, visitors to the Adelaide Botanic Garden can explore the complete outdoor Chihuly collection at no cost through the Garden Experience. This beautifully designed trail showcases the artworks surrounded by flourishing garden beds, rising from water features and spread along picturesque tree-lined pathways. Beyond the complimentary daytime outdoor exhibition, visitors can go for ticketed experiences that offer deeper insights into Dale Chihuly’s creative process and artistic vision. You’ll also be able to view the works under the dramatic setting of the night sky.

The In Full Colour: Dale Chihuly exhibition, is carefully set within the lush rainforest environment of the Botanical Garden’s Bicentennial Conservatory, and gives visitors an up-close and personal look at Chihuly’s creations. This intimate showcase not only displays his artworks but also provides fascinating glimpses into the artist’s life and creative process, as well as the compelling challenges of producing and transporting these delicate, often monumental pieces such vast distances. Here, you’ll also be able to see Jet and Crimson Fiori, which offers insight in to the artist’s appreciation for organic, fluid forms that evoke nature. This piece is also an homage to the vivid hues of South Australia’s lovely state flower the Sturt Desert Pea.

Be sure not to miss out on Chihuly Nights, which is an all-access pass to the entire Chihuly experience. You’ll be wowed by the resplendent artworks and then see how they are reborn with the setting of the sun and under dramatic nighttime lighting.

“As well as a place to lose yourself in nature, Adelaide Botanic Garden is now very much part of the city’s cultural scene. We’re thrilled to have been chosen by Chihuly to host this Australia-first exhibition and have audiences from near and far experience our glorious grounds by day and night, alongside these exquisite artistic expressions of the natural world,” said Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium Director Michael Harvey.