Running by the name of “Top Ten”, the exhibit aims to bring the business and art world together. It was launched last week in the Brisbane office’s reception area with a cocktail function for corporate clients, and will remain open for two months.

According to managing partner Paul Spiro, the purpose of the annual exhibition is to promote the work of successful artists by merging the worlds of business and art. It “draws together a collection of confronting and thought-provoking works from Queensland’s leading artistic talent,” he said.

Featuring an artwork from each of the ten artists profiled, the exhibition displays examples of contemporary painting, object-based art, photography, video and ceramics. Contributions have been made by Scott Johnson, Sharon Green, Victoria Reichelt, Peter Alwast, Arryn Snowball, Vernon Ah Kee, Kim Demuth, Mel Robson, Alexandra Gillespie and Paul Wrigley.

“The firm takes its support of art beyond the corporate art collection,” Spiro said. “We run regular artist in residence programs, and our temporary art program culminates in the Top Ten exhibition each year, which is a major event for the firm and our clients.”

Renai Grace, Gaden’s art curator and cultural consultant with Positive Solutions, said that the successful inaugural exhibition in 2005 has been complemented with this year’s display of “works produced by urban artists whose highly individual practices are unified by their exploration into contemporary life”. Describing most of the exhibiting artists as ‘emerged’ rather than emerging, Grace said that they have extensive exhibition histories, and have been the recipients of scholarships and travel grants.

Many of the artists have sold numerous works to corporate, public and private collections, which Gadens hopes to encourage further with Top Ten.

“We acquire work from the exhibition for our own collection and encourage our corporate clients and contacts to also invest,” Spiro said.