Shopping As An Art Form

Presented by David Worthington

Art is seen as sacred, whilst shopping is frivolous. Yet the two have been intertwined throughout history. When painting changed from the fresco on walls to oil on wood it became portable and a readily traded commodity. More recently there has been a great shift in retail brought on by internet sales. A shop now has to be a destination offering an experience not just a product. It is closer to a gallery with products displayed like art objects. Indeed, historical items might be exhibited in glass cases like in a museum demonstrating the longevity of the brand. Think of Niketown or the Apple stores. Artists have been commenting on this such as Claus Oldenburg’s The Store, Fischli & Weiss’ Prada Marfa and Tracey Emin & Sarah Lucas’ The Shop. Culture is now commerce, so is shopping now an art form?

Dates and Locations

Saturday 30 May 2026 Rockhampton (QLD)

Click on your preferred location above for more details and to book tickets.