From the Director - June 2025

Hello Everyone,

We have an extraordinary show launching Thursday 12 June, From the sea, the land and the mountains: Works by Kabi Kabi and Jinibara artists. Every year we celebrate NAIDOC Week, which this year runs from 6 to 10 July, with an exhibition of First Nations artists from across the country. This time we're focusing exclusively on artists from the traditional lands of the Sunshine Coast region, the Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) peoples of the shores and the northern hinterland, and the Jinibara peoples of the southern hinterland.

NAIDOC Week 2025 marks a milestone 50 years of "honoring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience." This year's theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy, will be echoed in the gallery through the multi-generational artmaking on display.

We are showcasing two talented emerging artists, Kane Brunjes (Kabi Kabi/Gunggari) and Zartisha Davis (Kabi Kabi/Butchulla/Cobble Cobble). Kane combines traditional techniques with modern artistic sensibilities in his painting practice. He has been working on a collection of portraits of Elders, which is a lovely way of celebrating these significant cultural leaders. He will also be exhibiting a series of paintings that function as visual discussions on culture, embedded in his Country, Kabi Kabi land.

Zartisha is well known on the Coast and has previously been selected as a finalist in both the Local Contemporary Art Prize and the Sunshine Coast National Art Prize. She has a lyrical line style that she uses as a repetitive pattern through her works, often related to shell middens. Middens tell the story of past celebrations, where First Nations people would gather to feast, perform ceremonies and share culture. These significant historical sites are dotted along the coastline, including Kabi Kabi Country. Zartisha's work honours these middens through painting, and she has also expanded her practice beyond the canvas into textiles and installation art.

For the third component of this exhibition, Jason Murphy (Jinibara) has curated Seen Through the Screen, bringing together three other Jinibara artists, Uncle Noel Blair (Jinibara), Enid Morris (Jinibara, Quandamooka) and Jennifer Kent (Jinibara, Quandamooka), along with Jason himself. They undertook a series of workshops, exploring the screen printing process and translating their visual practices into the print medium. They have created a series of designs on tea towels, referencing the idea that culture sits in the domestic realm of home and hospitality. Again, underlining the significance of gathering, sharing and celebrating. A range of merchandise will also be available for purchase in the pop-up space.

The works in this exhibition are so different from each other, acknowledging the depth and breadth of contemporary First Nations art making. Through their unique creative practices, these artists are celebrating their culture on Country.

To amplify the theme of celebration, we will host a live performance of song and dance by First Nations youth at the launch event. Aunty Jude Hammond (Gunggari/Kamilaroi) has gathered a group of students together in an extracurricular program to develop their own original songs and choreography. So, it will be a celebration of First Nations storytelling across mediums, and an important recognition of over 65,000 years of culture — Strength, Vision and Legacy.

From the sea, the land and the mountains runs from 13 June to 3 August 2025. Visit the gallery to view the exhibition, participate in free family-friendly art activities and shop the artisan pop-up. And we still have tickets available for the launch, so come and join in the celebrations.

Look forward to seeing you in the gallery...

Jo Duke
Gallery Director

Jo Duke | Photo by ben vos productions