News · 15 September 2025

Chris Hagen – 300 Queen Street

Novel Havens (Queen Street)

‘Novel Havens (Queen Street)’ takes inspiration from the extraordinary way honey bees build their hives and the resident honey combs present on the rooftop of 300 Queen street. Even when placed within neat rectangles of commercial beekeeping frames, bees naturally shape their combs into flowing, curved forms that reflect their own instincts. This installation echoes that process, with panels cut into honeycomb-like shapes that suggest fragments of a hive. Some cells are filled with images and patterns connected to beekeeping, while others are coloured to reflect the vibrant nectars and pollens that bees collect — even echoing the bougainvillea-inspired Brisbane Festival palette. Finished with beeswax, the elements catch the light and carry a gentle aroma, creating an artwork that appeals to sight, smell, and memory.

The work is part of an ongoing practice by Chris Hagen exploring the beauty and fragility of bees and their vital role in our world. Drawing on the artist’s own experiences working on beekeeping farms (apiaries), the installation celebrates the resilience of pollinators while acknowledging the delicate balance they face in today’s environment. Seen up close, the structure becomes a walk-by hive: colourful, fractured, and full of possibility. It invites city-goers to pause and reflect on the humble honeybee—not only as a symbol of hard work and community, but as a reminder of how deeply our lives are connected to these small yet vital creatures. Sites such as 300 Queen Street offer a critical sheltered habitat to colonies while supporting the diverse flora of Brisbane’s urban ecosystem.

Building: 300 Queen Street

Client: CBRE

A soaring 24 level building in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD, 300 Queen Street sets the benchmark for sophisticated, new ways of working. Purposely designed to maximise the lifestyle of its occupants and visitors, 300 Queen Street presents unmatched convenience, connectivity and amenity.

Step out and be immersed in Brisbane’s buzzing cultural heart. At the epicentre of the CBD’s commercial hub, 300 Queen provides immediate access to all the excitement and creativity of the city. It is an area rich in history, yet continually evolving with its acclaimed bars, pubs and eateries, along with shopping centres, markets and independent boutiques.

Novel Havens (Queen Street) – Material List

Printmakers Paper
Beeswax
Ink washed Awagani paper
Photographs on transparency

The Artist – Chris Hagen

Raised by a biologist and a journalist in the forested stretch of northern Wisconsin, Chris Hagen received a BFA in Digital Art & Photography from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Becoming deeply involved in printmaking during during that time, he took a journeyman’s path through Minneapolis with a year of co-op practice and a session of professional internship at the Highpoint Center for Printmaking. During his MFA at Illinois State University, he attended the Tamarind Institute summer lithography workshop and served as an assistant in Normal Editions Workshop.

Chris practices in the Midwestern US and Brisbane, Australia, where he co-founded Grey Hand Press with fellow printer and paper conservator Claudia Husband.

Visit Artist Website

‘Novel Havens (Queen Street)’ was installed at 300 Queen Street, Brisbane City from 8 September – end October, 2025.

If you are interested in activating a space with the assistance of a local Brisbane artist, reach out via the form below and the Metro Arts Public Art team will be in contact.

Make a Metro Arts Public Art Enquiry

The artist would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians and elders past, present, and emerging; thank Barrett Old Mill Honey (USA), Bird and the Bees Honey (USA), Bee One Third (Aus), and Hinterland Bees (Aus) for their roles in the artists experience and practice; beekeeper-photographer Francis Kuchar for contributing the image of a wildly diverse pollen frame; and Claudia Husband for intensive production assistance; Metro Arts Public Art, CBRE, and Daniel Clifford for the opportunity, guidance, and install support.