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28 September, 2025
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THE Cairns Art Gallery is marking its 30th anniversary with a series of exhibitions featuring local, Indigenous and nationally significant artists.
September has proven to be an ideal time to explore the gallery, with openings running through to November.
The late Kaiadilt artist Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori is a centrepiece of the gallery’s milestone celebrations.
Her exhibition ‘Mundamurra Ngijinda Dulk – My Island Home’, marked the first focused presentation of her work in the region.
The exhibition was officially opened by Queensland Art Gallery deputy director Simon Wright, who delivered a heartfelt speech about Mrs Gabori’s powerful work and warmly welcomed her family members attending the opening night.
Mrs Gabori, who began painting at the age of 80, quickly gained recognition for her instinctive use of colour, capturing the land and sea of her birthplace with intensity and vibrancy.
Emerging Indigenous artist Tania Major is holding her first solo exhibition at the gallery, ‘Kowanyama – When Rain Falls, When Earth Sleeps’.
A Kokoberra woman and former Young Australian of the Year, Ms Major’s work celebrates the cultural landscapes and coastal wetlands of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Albert Namatjira’s ‘Masterpieces from Country’ showcases the work of the iconic Western Arrarnta watercolourist, celebrated for his evocative desert landscapes, ghost gum trees, and depictions of the Finke River through the MacDonnell Ranges.
Other highlights included ‘Skinship – Collection in Focus’, exploring the body as a medium for cultural storytelling with works by Far North Queensland artists such as Alair Pambegan, Janet Fieldhouse, and Tony Albert, and Fred Williams: Weipa Series – Collection in Focus’, presenting the gallery’s collection of Williams’ influential twentieth-century Australian landscapes.
Gallery manager Kelly Jaunzems said the exhibitions offered visitors something remarkable to discover.
“Whether you come for 10 minutes or an hour, the gallery provides a space to engage deeply with art,” she said.
“Every exhibition is exceptional,” Ms Jaunzems said.
“From local artists like Grace Lillian Lee, who is currently in Paris for Fashion Week, to national collections, there’s something incredible to discover in every corner of the gallery.”
The gallery remains free and open seven days a week, with all current exhibitions running through to 30 November.
