Paola Pivi’s exhibition I don’t like it, I love it opens at AGWA in Australia

The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) is excited to launch a new, vibrant and super-sized exhibition by globally celebrated contemporary artist, Paola Pivi. Paola Pivi – I don’t like it, I love it unveils major new commissions developed specifically for AGWA, making it one of the largest projects Paola Pivi has ever undertaken.

Taking centre stage in AGWA’s concourse, is a 14-metre-tall, 10-metre-wide inflatable named Fortunately, one of these is worth a thousand of these suckers… (drawing by Lincoln Peirce).

The exhibition also unveils Love addict, an immersive new installation work composed of 999 transparent trays, filled with colourful liquid, suspended by thin cables from the ceiling in AGWA’s Gallery 10, located on the top floor and surrounded by large windows with stunning views of the city and surroundings. The work is poetically designed to catch and interact with sunlight and create a reflective and quiet magic throughout the space. As the light changes during the day, the trays act like a moving stained-glass window.

“The appearance differs depending on the viewer’s exact position, it very gently speaks to the impossibility of completely experiencing or grasping anything – including any artwork,” explains curator Robert Cook.

Three new feathered polar bears have been created for the AGWA show. Pivi first became fascinated by Arctic bears when she travelled to Alaska to cover the famous dog sled race, the Iditarod. The trip led her to spend time in the bears’ natural habitat and later to create these life-sized brightly coloured bear sculptures that balance fun and beauty with a message about vulnerability and survival.

“They are artworks that I have been working on and hoping to make for years, and now AGWA is commissioning these works and giving me a chance to see them in reality. They are extremely important for me, and right now I am one of the luckiest human beings and artists to be able to freely express myself, something that today we are slowly losing,” explains Pivi.

Paola Pivi – I don’t like it, I love it, runs at AGWA from 8 November 2025 – 26 April 2026.