ANZ's Walk This Way by Craig & Karl

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Fri 05 Sep 2025 - Sat 27 Sep 2025

Brisbane's river city and its pedestrian bridges are exploding with bursts of colour as the Craig and Karl installation covers the bridges in art of the modern age, all thanks to the Brisbane Festival.



There has been much expectation amongst art lovers and the Brisbane public for the highly anticipated exhibit by artists Karl and Craig at the 2025 Brisbane Festival. The city's modern bridges, including the Goodwill, the Neville Bonner Bridge and the 460 metre Kangaroo Point bridge, are being overtaken in major public art and design trends from world-leading Brisbane artists.

Who are Craig and Karl?
The artistic brains behind the brand are former Brisbane pair, and art and design duo Craig Redman and Karl Maier, who met at Griffith University’s Queensland College of Art and Design . Their art is described as "a dynamic aesthetic that employs the artists’ signature messages of humour, joy and optimism to explore themes of community, identity, imagination, and love."

The pair now have bases in the world's creative capitals, London and New York and have exhibited across the globe, including the Big Apple's Times Square, Beijing, and Seoul.

The Craig and Karl bridge installation titled "Walk This Way" runs during the Brisbane Festival in September and is one of the major and very visible highlights of the festival. I went along to see the art for myself and here's what I found.



Our Experience
We started our visit from Southbank Parklands and crossed the new Neville Bonner bridge from the outdoor recreational precinct to the entrance of The Star. The bridge is lined with colourful banners at the top of the bridge and along the side, taking visitors to the centrepiece in the middle of the bridge. It was here that we were met by the giant, signature Craig and Karl coloured and patterned inflatables.



Craig & Karl's art inflatables are made from durable, high-quality materials that allow for large-scale installations. While the exact materials used aren't publicly specified, based on their previous works, such as "Cosmos" and "Mateys," it's likely that their inflatables may be constructed from inflatable material, possibly PVC or similar flexible materials that can withstand outdoor conditions and maintain their shape when inflated.

Up close, the interconnected pieces are locking in what looks like a huddled rugby scrum of joyfulness. Stepping inside gives you a close-up look at the emotions of each character. They cross the spectrum of human emotions. Some are happy, surprised, sad, and moody



Much of Craig and Karl's work is about transforming a public space and inviting participation and interaction with the art. Being public art, visitors are able to touch the art, feel the texture of the material and walk amongst the larger-than-life characters smiling down on you. The faces of the inflatable are so simple but no less emotive and joyful. Colour and smiles are an everlasting combination of happiness.



During my visits, kids ran through the characters, ran up to them, and were only stopped by parents who wanted to capture the moment in a photograph.

A sunny Spring day provided the best natural lighting effects, so that walking through them saw the characters bedazzled with light from the sun



After seeing them up close, it was time to view the installation from above and the Skydeck at the Star Casino provided the perfect platform. A short ride up the elevator to the open-air deck provided a panorama of the City skyline, which is always brilliant, but the Craig and Karl works added that little extra va-va-voom.



From here, we could also see a sneaky peek at the other and larger installation by Craig and Karl through the CBD skyscrapers at the Kangaroo Point bridge.



It's hard not to smile and feel happy amongst this overwhelming celebration of colour.

The Craig and Karl installation is open to view and explore 24/7, over the next several weeks. And if you think they look good during the day, wait until you see them shine and light up at night.



While my visit focussed on the art on the bridges, you can also see Craig and Karl's work from Brisbane Airport to Brisbane Powerhouse to Brisbane Quarter, Fish Lane Arts Precinct, Griffith University campuses, South Bank Cultural Forecourt, QPAC, Westfield Chermside, and throughout the CBD as part of Brisbane City Council’s Outdoor Gallery exhibition Craig & Karl: Rear Vision.

The exhibition is only in town for a short time, so be sure to catch it while it lasts.

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