John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
Paper: All stitched up
Curated by Sandra Pearce for Papermakers & Artists Queensland Inc.
To stitch is to join together, to mend, or fasten. To stitch is to bring together paper, the mind, distance, or cultural divides. Stitching can be an act of healing, hope, practicality, creativity, and revolution. Perforations in paper after stitches have been removed may represent wounds of the body, memories, or loss.
Paper: All Stitched Up is a contemporary view of papermaking and paper art by 22 members of Papermakers and Artists Qld (PAQ), showcasing the experience and diversity of each artist’s practice. The exhibition focuses on works on paper where stitching is an integral element of the visual design and includes sculptural works and artist books.
Participating Artists: Zela Bissett, Maxine V Cole, Fiona Dempster, Wendy Drake, Noreen Eyears, Joanna Faber, Fiona Garrett-Benson, Joolie Gibbs, Glenda Henning, Ann Huthwaite, Janina Liddell, Ngaire Macleod, Heather Matthew, Jan Pearce, Sandra Pearce, Liz Powell, Andrew Prince, Ruby Purple, Tricia Smout, Wendy Sonnenburg, Jo Taylor, Michell Vandermeer.
EXHIBITION DATES
1 April – 20 May 2023
Image caption: Ann Huthwaite | From above I see, 2022 | Artist Book: Jute thread and mixed media on watercolour paper
ON THE CURVED WALL
The cloth and the pot
By Ann Greaves and Karen Gaskell
This exhibition is a collaboration between two artists working in different mediums – Ann Greaves, textiles and Karen Gaskell, ceramics.
Greaves explores the possibilities that come with recycling and re-creating natural fibre textiles, that have had previous lives as clothing or household linen, into re-imagined functional garments and homewares.
Gaskell explores the versatility of clay as a medium to become an item of fashion or furnishing that stands alone or becomes an integral part of a re-purposed textile creation.
This quirky collaboration of textiles and ceramics creates a dynamic freedom, not present in one medium alone.
EXHIBITION DATES
1 April – 20 May 2023
Image credit: A collaboration of textiles and ceramics.
Photographer: Ann Greaves
Heimlich Unheimlich
By Sieglinde Karl-Spence and Hazel Smith
This exhibition is an installation of collages and poetry, video, and handstitched objects created by artist Sieglinde Karl-Spence and writer Hazel Smith. The artists draw on their contrasting childhoods (German-Australian and British-Jewish) in photographs from their family albums to weave a story about the characters Muslin and Hessian. The story unfolds on delicate chiffon hangings and explores the post-Second World War period, personal and intergenerational trauma, belonging and migration.
EXHIBITION DATES
4 February – 25 March 2023
Image caption: Sieglinde Karl-Spence & Hazel Smith | The Vengeful, Directive Angel, 2020 | Digital collage on polyester chiffon
ON THE CURVED WALL
Different Strokes
By Miles Art Group
Different Strokes is a collection of work created by local artists who are members of the Miles Art Group. It is a celebration of the many genres, mediums, and personalities that grace the monthly meet ups.
The exhibition is a diverse response to personal stimuli, from artists who create individually and as part of the Miles Art Group. This translates to a collective, inspiring each other in their chosen practise through encouragement and constructive feedback, sharing knowledge, and the lessons of experience.
Participating Artists: Sarah Davis, Patricia Hinz, Bernice Lakay, Shirley Makin, Anna Moeba, Chris Osborne, Bill Perry, Donna Rivers, Juliana Stiller, Lillian Stiller, Lisa Stiller
EXHIBITION DATES
4 February – 25 March 2023
Image caption: Sarah Davis | Run!, 2022 | Ink pen on paper | 295mm x 372mm
2022 Western Downs Regional Artists’ Exhibition: Kaleidoscope
This annual exhibition showcases the diverse talents of artists from the Western Downs as a collaboration between the major Galleries of the region. The theme Kaleidoscope invited artists to take a playful approach to observing the vicissitudes of life and to respond with their own unique and colourful perspective.
The exhibition is curated by Bundaberg artist, curator, and arts consultant Shelley Pisani. Awards in the four categories – painting, works on paper, photography and new media and 3D artwork will be announced on opening night. Exhibition visitors are invited to cast a vote for the People’s Choice Award that will be announced at the conclusion of the exhibition.
EXHIBITION DATES
5 November 2022 – 28 January 2023
Image caption: Cindy Grimes | Era of the App (detail) 2021 | Acrylic on canvas | 610mm x 760mm
ON THE CURVED WALL
The Girl:
Anna Moeba
This body of work is an exploration of emotions, feelings and thoughts of self-worth that started with The Girl: Tell me, what you see? It is a visual documentation of the artist‘s journey of self, from a past full of doubts and challenges, to the positive aspects of her life in the present and moving towards a better and brighter future.
Image caption: Anne Moeba | The Girl: Tell me, what do you see? 2021| Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas | 915mm x 610mm
EXHIBITION DATES
5 November 2022 – 28 January 2023
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
BIMBLEBOX 153 BIRDS
Curator Jill Sampson
Audio compilation and mixing by Boyd
Inspired by the birdlife of the Bimblebox Nature Refuge, this exhibition is a unique installation of artist prints, poetry, prose and musician’s birdcalls by over 450 people worldwide. Each of the 153 bird species is given voice by a writer, an artist and a musician. Individual bird prints are ‘hung in the round’ and the writing and music accompanying the artworks, captured and presented as an audio soundscape. Together these elements create an immersive experience for the visitor. Bimblebox Nature Refuge is in central western Queensland’s Galilee Basin. Its future is now threatened by coal mining.
EXHIBITION DATES
3 September – 28 October 2022
Image caption: Heather Kepski, Brolgas 2014, Hand-painted woodcut, 297mm x 210mm
SURROUNDED BY NATURE
Chris Osborne
Chris Osborne started out with artistic ambitions studying Fine Art and Graphic Design in the mid-1990s. He veered off course for 23 years, applying his skills to computer mapping in government departments across Sydney and Newcastle. Photography and video coaxed him back to art. In 2018 he quit his job and sold his house to pursue a life of adventure, travel and art. Osborne is inspired by the Australian environment, its unique habitats and the creatures and plants that live in them. Surrounded by nature is Osborne’s fourth exhibition since his return to art. He has captured a wide variety of Australian animals, birds and reptiles in exquisite detail using his favoured medium gouache, an opaque watercolour paint. Osborne has a studio and gallery at Possum Park, Kowguran, north of Miles.
Image caption: Chris Osborne, Contemplating wildlife (detail) 2020, Gouache on Mi-Teintes Touch paper, 265mm x 195mm
ON THE CURVED WALL
FACES OF THE GOLDEN AGE
Jaguar Ngo
This exhibition pays homage to past actors who shaped Hollywood as we see it today. From James Dean’s ‘Rebel without a Cause‘ to Audrey Hepburn’s ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s‘, the performances from these actors have stood the test of time and justify the aptly named ‘Golden Age of Hollywood‘.
Image supplied by artist.
EXHIBITION DATES
3 September – 29 October 2022
ASIA PACIFIC CONTEMPORARY: THREE DECADES OF APT
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Touring Exhibition
‘Asia Pacific Contemporary’ celebrates the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art’s (QAGOMA) flagship exhibition, the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT), now in its tenth iteration. Featuring works that have appeared in the Triennial since its debut in the 1990s, and across media from painting and sculpture, to video, performance and works on paper, ‘Asia Pacific Contemporary’ showcases art from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Vanuatu and Vietnam.
As these varied and compelling artworks demonstrate, the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art continues to be a pre-eminent platform for the art of Asia, Australia and the Pacific, surveying a vast and dynamic region through a series of exhibitions, forums and cultural exchanges. The diverse works in ‘Asia Pacific Contemporary’ reflect the APT’s embrace of contemporary art in all its forms, ranging from the ceremonial to the conceptual, and from the deeply personal to the resolutely social.
EXHIBITION DATES
9 July – 20 August 2022
Image caption: Tomoko Kashiki, Japan b.1982, I am a rock 2012, Synthetic polymer paint, masking tape on linen on plywood, 162 x 227.5cm. The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of
Contemporary Asian Art. Purchased 2013 with funds from Michael Sidney Myer through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Photograph: Natasha Harth, QAGOMA. © Tomoko Kashiki
PARALLEL EXHIBITION
ASIA PACIFIC VIDEO
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Touring Exhibition
Leichhardt Art Gallery
Wandoan Library, Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm (closed 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM)
Wandoan Cultural Community Centre, 6 Henderson Street, Wandoan
Artists in the Asia-Pacific were quick to embrace the new possibilities of video art as it emerged as an art form, and the region is now home to some of the leading moving image artists in the world. From the most basic use of a hand-held video camera to elaborate and theatrical productions, video has also allowed artists throughout the region to explore and communicate their social conditions, cultures and ideas on ever-evolving screen-based platforms.
By performing for the camera, recording collective actions and experimenting with technologies and theatrical scenarios, the artists in this exhibition deliver a range of critical, humorous and magical insights into their own artistic motivations and the contexts in which they live and work. Through a wide-ranging series of encounters that manifest across the screen, they capture how the medium has become such a valuable form expression for many of the region’s artists, defining new platforms where their voices and visions can come alive.
EXHIBITION DATES
6 July – 2 September 2022
Image caption: JoyceHo / Taiwan b.1983 / Overexposed memory (still) 2015 / Single-channel video: 5:00 minutes, colour, sound, ed.3/5 / Purchased 2018. QAGOMA Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art / © Joyce H
ON THE CURVED WALL
Miles High Showcase
Miles State High School Students
The Miles High Showcase presents an exciting and diverse exhibition of artwork created by students in the course of their studies this year.
The senior Visual Art students have been considering ‘Scapes’. Thinking outside the landscape box, students were challenged to morph two contrasting environments – physical, social or emotional – into a single landscape. A selection of miniature-rise sculptures, also on show, have been created for installation in the school’s outdoor environment.
The junior Visual Art students have been creating cool designs for skateboard decks. An array of hand painted wooden boomerangs the students have crafted from scratch will also be on show.
Reminding us that art can be incorporated into all areas of the school curriculum, the year 7 Humanities students have a display of Egyptian clay artefacts resulting from their study of Ancient Egyptian daily-life, significant individuals and rituals.’
EXHIBITION DATES
9 July – 20 August 2022
Image caption: Hermionne Stapleton with junior art students still life artwork – Miles High Showcase 2021
10 ARTISTS: CHAPTER TWO
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
EXHIBITION DATES
14 May – 2 July 2022
The John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery is proudly sponsored by
Murilla Hardware Supplies
10 Artists: Chapter Two continues to showcase the stories of artists who live and work on the Western Downs through video, images, profiles and artworks.
This exhibition highlights the deep connection between each artist, their practice, the landscape, and community in which they live.
You are invited to explore 10 Artists: Chapter Two with contributions from Guy Breay, Megg Cullen, Kristen Flynn, Tracey Irvine, Kay Joyce, Sonia Miers, Leigh Nicholson, Bill Perry, Sharlene Smith and Meg Stevenson.
Image caption: Sonia Miers, Dalby
Photographer: Rachel Sieger
On the Curved Wall
Bury me in the Brigalow
Kieth Murray
EXHIBITION DATES
14 May – 2 July 2022
Kieth Murray was born and raised on the Western Downs and has maintained an abiding attachment to the land of his childhood. His photographic exhibition is a celebration of life in the Western Downs region. Connection to the land is captured through image, sound, and original poetry.
The materiality of the exhibition is a meeting of art and science. Photographs are printed on handmade paper using dyes and materials extracted from local crops and native botanicals. The frames are handcrafted from fallen local timber including the dominant species Brigalow, recycled, and worked by Murray. The exhibition prompts reflection on ‘Country’ and the people, places and cultures that shape our lives.
Image caption: Kieth Murray | Kobble Gum Creek 2021 | Photograph | 330mm x 508mm
Lightning Without Flash
Joe Ruckli
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
EXHIBITION DATES
19 March – 7 May 2022
The John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery is proudly sponsored by
Murilla Hardware Supplies
In his solo exhibition Lightning Without Flash documentary photographer Joe Ruckli seeks to unearth the idiosyncratic qualities of Lightning Ridge, a rural mining town in northern New South Wales, famous for its large deposits of Black Opal.
The featured objects and photographs suggest an inhospitable landscape that belies the beauty of its gems and precarious labour hidden below. Scorched by the sun and secluded deep within Australia’s vast interior, the exhibition reveals strange and surreal glimpses of life on the minefields and its fringes; a subterranean world where prospectors chase their fortune and hermits search for somewhere to retreat or disappear.
Image caption: Joe Ruckli | Lightning Without Flash 2018-19 | Archival pigment prints from film scans on Hahnemühle Photo Rag | 800mm x 800mm
On the Curved Wall
FACING IT
Jennifer Ryan
EXHIBITION DATES
19 March – 7 May 2022
In this series of work Jennifer Ryan documents her artistic development – from an isolated creative working at a distance from her work to becoming emotionally engaged in the creative process, bringing aspects of her own story to each image created. Progressing her practice through research and experimentation Ryan has developed an abstract style that uses marks, shapes and colour to suggest the emotions in the subjects she perceives. As an observer of people and behaviour she finds the focus of her passion turning to women and the secrets they hold in their everyday lives.
Image caption: Jennifer Ryan | Faces and masks: The shadows 2019 | Oil pastel | 200mm x 300mm
still water
Henri van Noordenburg
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
EXHIBITION DATES
22 January – 12 March 2022
The John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery is proudly sponsored by
Murilla Hardware Supplies
‘still water’ is a body of work that explores effects on the natural environment due to global warming. The images are created by drawing with a knife and sandpaper onto an inkjet print. At times the nude figures will appear in the image questioning the survival of humanity in sometimes nightmarish landscapes, while other compositions are reminiscent of an oasis that once was.
Simulating hopeful futures through manipulation of landscapes, using famous Dutch artists as a reference point, the exhibition interrogates the actions of industrial human activity. ‘still water‘ renders these actions synonymous with a symbolic Hell, and champions a return to the Divine, not in a religious context, but towards the ultimate divinity of nature.
A collaborative performance between Henri van Noordenburg and music-maker Timothy Fairless will activate the exhibition space on opening night with sound and image. New ambient soundscapes will incorporate field recordings from and inspired by the natural environment surrounding Miles, inviting attendees to immerse themselves in the space with the artists, dismantling the borders between performer and audience.
Image caption: Henri van Noordenburg | Composition LV 2020 | Hand carved ink on Hahnemuhle | 400mm x 400mm
Tim Fairless in performance
Photo credit Mark du Potiers
On the Curved Wall
Baltic Mini Textile Gdynia
On tour from Gdynia City Museum, Poland
EXHIBITION DATES
22 January – 12 March 2022
Baltic Mini Textile Gdynia exhibition is one of Europe’s leading reviews of textile miniatures. The juried event is held every three years featuring artists from all over the globe.
The remarkable characteristics of the 20cm x 20cm x 20cm textile miniatures are significant for their close ties with the latest trends in contemporary art. The exhibition showcases the ingenuity of textile artists as they experiment with scale and push the boundaries of accepted traditional textile materials. The creative solutions reveal the exciting possibilities of the miniature genre.
Image caption: Henryka Aremba | Resistance 2016 | Own technique, linen, wood | 70mm x 200mm x 110mm
Image Courtesy of Gdynia Museum
Response to the Bunyas
Dogwood Crossing, Miles Exhibition
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
EXHIBITION DATES
6 November 2021 – 15 January 2022
The John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery is proudly sponsored by
Murilla Hardware Supplies
This exhibition responds to the unique environment of the Bunya Mountains as experienced by Indigenous artists, artists who live on the mountain and artists who visit the mountain seeking to experience and be inspired by this special place.
The Bunya Mountains, the traditional lands of the Wakka Wakka nation, is a vital and grounding place that attracts and connects, drawing on the rich tradition of bringing together people from near and far. The Bunyas have become a refuge for the world’s largest stand of ancient bunya pines Araucaria bidwillii and more than 30 threatened species. Today it is a retreat for people to rest and recharge, and for many incite a deep spiritual experience.
Image caption: Sharlene Smith | Bunya Mountain 2020 | Acrylic on canvas | 600mm x 760mm
On the Curved Wall
Works on Paper
Bill Perry
EXHIBITION DATES
6 November 2021 – 15 January 2022
In this collection of work Perry explores the spectrum of drawing, finding himself drawn to a more emotional expression of his subject. He is looking for the poetry in the representation of his subject, and uses both traditional and digital tools in this quest.
Image caption: Bill Perry | Power pole 2019 | Pen and ink on paper with digital colour wash | 297mm x 210mm
Double Vision
Patricia Hinz & Priscilla Mundell
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
EXHIBITION OPENING
Friday 10 September, 5.00pm
EXHIBITION DATES
11 September – 30 October 2021
The John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery is proudly sponsored by
Murilla Hardware Supplies
Two Artists, two visions. Hinz and Mundell have lived and painted on the Western Downs for many years sharing, friendship and their passion for art.
Hinz seeks inspiration in the grand vistas, the ancient rock formations, and rugged bush-scapes of the Western Downs. Recently COVID’s enforced confinement has concentrated her focus on her immediate surroundings and the riches that reward close observation.
Mundell draws inspiration from her new life in retirement in Toowoomba. After the flatness of Condamine, she relishes looking down the Toowoomba range and painting hills along with depicting the different plants in her garden.
Image caption: Patricia Hinz | Butterfly and gum blossoms 2021 | Acrylic on canvas | 450mm x 450mm
Image caption: Priscilla Mundell | Acorns 2021 | Acrylic on canvas | 450mm x 450mm
Unseen
donnadavis
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
EXHIBITION OPENING
Friday 16 July, 6.30pm
EXHIBITION DATES
17 July – 4 September 2021
The John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery is proudly sponsored by
Murilla Hardware Supplies
Unseen is an exhibition that artistically and philosophically explores interspecies relationships: investigating the intricate web of unseen connections with reference to plants and fungi. Created by artist Donna Davis Unseen uses sculpture, installation and digital media to evoke curiosity and contemplation about the intricate, and often unseen, living networks that nurture and sustain our planet.
‘Unseen’ is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. Donna Davis is supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments’. This project is also supported by the Queensland Herbarium, centre for research and information on Queensland ecosystems, plants and fungi.
Image caption: Hidden Worlds (detail), donna davis, 2017, pigment print onto fine art rag. Image courtesy of the artist.
On the Curved Wall
The Grace Lithgow Fungi Collection
Grace Lithgow
17 July – 4 September 2021
A collection of botanical artwork documenting fungi in southern inland Queensland, by renowned Queensland naturalist M. Grace Lithgow, on loan from Lapunyah Art Gallery, Chinchilla.
Image caption: Grace Lithgow | Aseroe rubra 1998 | Pen, ink and watercolour on paper | 175mm x 265mm
Stencil Art Prize
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
22 May – 10 July 2021
The John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery is proudly sponsored by
Murilla Hardware Supplies
The Stencil Art Prize is a touring exhibition of the world’s biggest, best and most daring artists who use the technique of cutting stencil layers to create a design. This grassroots art form has undergone a resurgence in recent decades and is now thriving on the streets in every country around the globe. Influenced by the ephemeral nature of street art, these stencil-based works blend pop-culture imagery and global politics. Edgy, and cheeky the stencil technique lends itself to a sense of wonder and intrigue. Collectively the artists push the boundaries each year, developing new stencil techniques, messages, materials and technology.
Image caption: 085C3N3 | Bad conDUCKt | Aerosol on board | 800mm x 800mm
On the Curved Wall
Miles High Showcase
Miles High Art Students
22 May – 10 July 2021
Art meets graphic design in an exhibition of cultural event posters by senior art students. Junior students explore the foundational skill of sketching, presenting a series of still life and portrait sketches that employ a variety of shading techniques.
Image caption: Junior art student Annabelle Erwin
Amarna Tomb
by Darryn Campbell
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
13 February – 27 March 2021
The John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery is proudly sponsored by
Murilla Hardware Supplies
The Amarna period of Egyptian history in the latter half of the Eighteen Dynasty (c. 1300 BC), continues to be a source of artistic inspiration for Darryn Campbell. In this exhibition, Campbell explores the unique perspective of Akhenaten, the ruler of this era, who’s monotheistic beliefs are reflected in the city planning, architecture, and art of his time. Featuring a stylised tomb, sarcophagus and chambers, the design is a distinct departure from traditional ancient Egyptian tomb decoration. Instead, the theme reveals the journey of everyday earthly life and the abundance flowing from the sun god Aten, rather than a preoccupation with eternity.
Image caption: Darryn Campbell | Amarna Tomb 2020 | Carving on wood | 690mm x 600mm
On the Curved Wall
Extra-Curricular Activities
Darryn Campbell
13 February – 27 March 2021
Miles artist Darryn Campbell is well known for bringing to life the Amarna period of Egyptian history through his richly coloured and detailed paintings. Extra-Curricular Activities sheds light on Campbell’s many wide-ranging interests that also serve as artistic inspiration and include religion, significant persons, the cosmos, science fiction, true crime, symbology, and the exploration of patterns. All share the exacting detail and precision viewers have come to expect from Campbell.
Image courtesey Darryn Campbell
2020 Vision: Glenmorgan Art Group 50th Anniversary Exhibitition
John Mullins Memorial Art Gallery
6 April – 15 May 2021
Founded by five members in 1970, the Glenmorgan Art Group (GAG), celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2020; a milestone which would have been unimaginable at the time. Today, the group continues to thrive as a vital community arts hub, with ongoing monthly meetings, and regularly welcoming new members. 2020 Vision showcases art produced by the many GAG artists over the past 50 years and demonstrates their diverse approaches both to painting and creativity in general.
Image caption: Jane Bridle | Tree Fern 2019 | Acrylic on Linen | 640mm x 795mm
On the Curved Wall
On the Beach
Mervyn Moriarty
My association with Glenmorgan Art Group began when they joined my Flying Art School in 1973. I was delighted to be asked to contribute to their anniversary exhibition 2020 Vision. These paintings were all done in the field. Long ago I accepted that working in the field, even with all the inherent difficulties, was essential. I gave up working in the studio from studies done in the field, because I felt that work en plein air had more vitality and the brush marks were more natural. I believe that a painting, however realistic or abstract, is a statement in paint by an artist in response to a visible real-world subject – a still life, a landscape or a human figure.
Image caption: Mervyn Moriarty | Wine Glass Cove V 2019 | Acrylic on canvas | 220mm x 310mm
