Great Barrier Reef stages underwater art exhibition - PHOTO

It is the largest coral reef system on the planet – a sub-aqua wonderland that has been voted one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and is reputedly visible from space.It is also the must-see attraction for visitors heading to the easterly Australian state of Queensland, where it stretches out over 1600 miles in the aptly named Coral Sea – an enclave of twitching, ever-growing marine life made up of some 3000 individual reefs and some 900 islands that has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage site since 1981.It is, however, an art gallery with a difference. It is - as you might expect - under water.Between today (10 December) and Friday (13 December), the Reef will play host to several works by Queensland painter BJ Price – an Abstract Expressionist who lives in the north of the state, and has long been inspired by the oceanic wonder on his ‘doorstep’.A selection of his works – six aluminium prints, treated to protect them from water damage – have been transferred to the bottom of the Coral Sea by scuba divers.The paintings – daubed in bright swirls of red, yellow, green, orange and blue – are designed to complement their under-the-surface surroundings. They are currently on display on special easels set up on the sea bed, with fish and turtles flitting around them.Of course, culture vultures intrigued by the exhibition will have to make greater efforts to see it than simply turning up at a museum and paying the admission price.They will have to dive down to catch a glimpse of the art in its temporary location.The exhibition can be visited via an hour-and-45-minute ferry ride from Cairns. A local operator, Reef Magic Cruises, is transporting tourists to a platform set up above.And while X has long marked the spot on treasure maps, in this case, the site of the exhibition is indicated by an enormous floating turtle 'sculpture'.‘Alpha Turtle’ has been moored above the paintings.Price has long been inspired by the Great Barrier Reef, and considers it his muse.He hopes that the exhibition will encourage visitors to glimpse this natural phenomenon for themselves – although he insists that part of the point of the show is to underline the importance of the Reef, and the necessity of its continued protection.“I encourage anyone who has not visited this wonder to do so,” he says.“We have all seen it on TV, but to experience it in person can be a life-altering event.“It certainly was for me.”The exhibition has been set up with the assistance of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and will be carefully monitored to ensure it leaves no footprint.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az