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Exhibition reads

Running 6 December till 9 February is the new Neon exhibition in slq Gallery. Come along to explore neon's history, and its role in art, night life and advertising via photos and original archival footage.

To celebrate, the Stories and Ideas team have put together some fiction and non-fiction titles featuring neon, and reflecting its rise and fall on our skylines. So shield your eyes, grab an excellent book, and find some neon on the page this summer holidays.  

Neon reads

Prehistoric Joy book cover

Prehistoric Joy
by Andrew Sneddon
University of Queensland Press

Shop now
A Night at the Pink Poodle book cover

A Night at the Pink Poodle
by Matthew Condon
Random House Australia

Shop now
Atomic City book cover

Atomic City
by Sally Breen
4th Estate

Learn more
Cover of The Boundary by Nicole Watson showing a photo of the Brisbane skyline at night and a red feather

The Boundary
by Nicole Watson
University of Queensland Press

Borrow now
The cover of The Sea & Us by Catherine de Saint Phalle showing a neon blue sign, and red fish, an anchor and a key

The Sea & Us
by Catherine de Saint Phalle
Transit Lounge

Shop now
We'll Show the World: Expo 88 by Jackie Ryan

We'll Show the World: Expo 88
by Jackie Ryan
University of Queensland Press

Shop now

Neon events

Neon sign for the Surfers Paradise Hotel, Gold Coast
Neon Exhibition opening weekend curator's tours
Join a State Library Curator for an exhibition tour of Neon in slq Gallery on the history of neon across Queensland from the 1940s to today.
Book now
Blade Runner, 1982
Neon Cinema – screening of Blade Runner (1982)
Get your ticket to watch Blade Runner on the big screen, the 1982 film based on Philip K Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?
Book now
Queen Elizabeth II speaking at the opening of Expo '88 in South Bank
The lights and sights of World Expo 88
On 30 April 1988, Queen Elizabeth II opened World Expo 88 at South Bank – the first of 77,000 people to visit on day one alone.
Learn more