The exhibition boasts two new commissions created especially for this event. For the first one, ‘‘Heritage’’ (2013), 1100 square meters of exhibition space have been transformed into an indoor pond lined with white sand, around which 99 replicas of animals are set drinking water peacefully. The second one, ‘‘Eucalyptus’’ (2013), sees a real eucalyptus tree occupying GOMA’s central gallery, with seating available for visitors to observe and meditate. According to the exhibition’s curator Russell Storer, the new commissions drew on the striking beauty of Queensland’s landscapes and the exquisite imagery in historical Chinese painting and poetry, to express concerns regarding the ecological and social issues of our time.

In addition to the new commissions, the exhibition includes the notorious ‘‘Head On’’ installation from 2006 (where a pack of 99 wolves run into a glass wall), a Tea Pavilion (where people can sample tea from Guo-Qiang’s hometown and watch a documentary about the making of the exhibition) and an interactive installation for children. Alongside the main exhibition, a detailed chronology of Guo-Qiang’s work, including early works, ephemera, photographs and artefacts selected by the artist from his private collection and the QAGOMA Research Library, will be presented in the GOMA Foyer. A publication (including photographs of the new installations and essays by leading curators and critics) is expected to be released in January 2014.

Falling Back to Earth will be on show exclusively at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia (GOMA) from 23 November 2013 to 11 May 2014.