Viking Cruises

20 | Viking Explorer Society News Art across oceans A CULTURAL VOYAGE e major exhibition 'Presence' at QAGOMA invites visitors to see the world from multiple perspectives. Drawing inspiration from this, Dr Louise Martin-Chew reflects on the shared curiosity that connects contemporary art and culturally engaged travel. Here, she considers how art, nature and thoughtful journeys—from the Gallery to voyages at sea with Viking, Major Partner of the exhibition—can deepen our understanding of place, perception and the world around us. Olafur Eliasson's exhibition 'Presence' opens with dramatic imagery of Iceland, before immersing visitors within lands, spaces and sensations that transcend geography. Along the way, there's a shift in our understanding of place and space, colour and light. In the publication accompanying the exhibition, curator Geraldine Kirrihi Barlow writes that Eliasson's work invites us 'to see the world from two or more perspectives, to playfully question the truth and substance of what we see—to dance and move, to be open to changing our thinking'. This nuanced perspective feels crucial— even urgent—amid the environmental, social and ethical challenges we face in Australia and around the world. Like the best contemporary artists, Eliasson opens a space for speculation and curiosity, drawing each of us towards a more layered and imaginative understanding of the natural world, its diverse objects and their aesthetics. Similarly, it is an appetite for nature, art and culture that drives cultural travellers—a thirst for knowledge, a desire to extend and broaden their horizons. It is in this space that a new partnership between QAGOMA and Viking, with Eliasson's work at its heart, has such exciting possibilities. For QAGOMA Director Chris Saines, 'Viking's reputation for culturally rich and thoughtfully curated travel experiences is a natural complement to this exhibition, which encourages visitors to engage more deeply with the world around them.' Viking places art and culture at the centre of every journey, offering unique access to museums and cultural sites through experiences curated and led by specialists. Even in unfamiliar landscapes, Viking offers expert guidance to provide travellers with a deep understanding of history, science and culture. Chairman and CEO Torstein Hagen started this company 29 years ago, determined to reshape the nature of travelling the world by sea. Hagen trained as a physicist and is a Fulbright Scholar. Forbes magazine described his impetus to develop the 'thinking' traveller's cruise, with lectures, music, extensive onboard art collections and excursions to cultural institutions creating this experience. Viking journeys are designed for mature travellers; neither children nor casinos are part of its shipboard experience. Rather, the cruises offer a nourishing focus on exposure to nature and ideas. Sustainability is also central to the company's operational ethics, with increasing measures—including shifting to biofuels, reducing food waste, onboard sewage treatment and more— implemented every year since the 1980s to reduce the environmental impact of its river- and ocean-cruising ships. Hagen's interests are evident in the design of the entire Viking fleet – recently reaching the milestone of 100 ships – with a Nordic design edge related to the company's origins. Up to 900 works by contemporary international artists are displayed on each ship, including 28 of Edvard Munch's original artworks shared among the ocean liners. With digital access to the collection of Oslo's Munch Museum, Viking offers interactive experiences giving the traveller unique insight into Munch's life and works. TED talks also offer travellers access to international thinkers on subjects ranging from culture to contemporary ideas. Viking guests are also offered Privileged Access excursions, which provide carefully facilitated and curatorial experiences at museums, collections and cultural sites, including the Louvre, the Downton Abbey Viking Sky, Heimaey, Iceland Originally published by the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, in Artlines, no.1, 2026, pp.48– 49. Reproduced with kind permission.

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