Since opening, the gallery has shown more than 300 exhibitions with an average of 30 per year, including 5 which have been curated and toured nationally by the gallery. Over 65% of exhibitions offered an intriguing insight into the social heritage and culture of Far North Queensland.
The Exhibitions Policy stipulates that exhibitions are local, national and international, with local content a high percentage of the program each year.
Exhibitions will offer the community ways of seeing its cultures, environments and histories. Exhibitions will encourage the expression of ideas, attitudes and ambitions - they are about the tradition of art and art in our time, cultural diversity, communication and enjoyment. Exhibitions should offer audiences stimulation and challenging engagement.
The curated exhibitions feature the artworks of the Far Northern region, which have toured nationally; including Artists Studio, Escape Artists: Modernists in the Tropics, the highly acclaimed Ilan Pasin (this is our Way) exhibition of Torres Strait Islander art and Home Island, Home Country - a special exhibition of works on paper by young people from communities across Cape York and the Torres Strait, and Encounters with Country: Landscapes of Ray Crooke.
Exhibitions by local artists are developed through the Community Exhibitions Program. The Gallery curates exhibitions using works from the Collection and by regional artists. Some of these exhibitions are toured nationally and highlight particular aspects of an artist's work in the region. The Gallery also presents touring exhibitions from regional, state and national museums.
All exhibitions are complimented with an active promotional, educational, advertorial and interpretive program targeting both the local and visitor community to the region.
Talking Tapa: Pasifika Bark Cloth in Queensland
11 December 2009 - 31 January 2010
An exhibition developed partly to reflect the large number of Pacific Islanders who have settled in Australia. The exhibition contains Fijian wedding outfits, Papuan New Guinean ceremonial skirts and cloaks, large Tongan pieces, loincloths and headdresses from the Solomon Islands, bark cloth lengths from Erromongo and unusual tapa clothing from Wallis and Futuna.
A Travelling Exhibition from Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre
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Geometric Expressions - The Cairns Photographic Society
18 December 2009 - 24 January 2010
An exhibition displaying the broad variety of photographers and their interpretation of the theme.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibitions Program
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THE COLLECTION: Cairns Regional Gallery Acquisitions 2006 To 2008
25 December 2009 - 28 February 2010
An exhibition that celebrates the artistic heritage of the Cairns Regional Gallery Collection, specifically works acquired between 2006 and 2008 ranging from oil and acrylic paintings to printmaking to sculpture.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Collection Exhibition
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Sentinels: Leith Maguire
29 January 2010 - 7 March 2010
A series of drawings and animation featuring birds bound to the earth in part human form, the voiceless sentinels.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibition Program
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Kicking Up Dust: From Grass Roots To Centre Stage
5 February 2010 - 14 March 2010
A travelling exhibition of photographs by Cairns-based photographer Kerry Trapnell, documenting the Laura Dance Festival. The local environment and the rock art will be featured alongside a DVD presentation titled Laura - Legend & Lore. Related music and dance artefacts from the region will be included.
A QPAC Museum Travelling Exhibition
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Rivers Run: Julie Gough
5 February 2010 - 14 March 2010
Creating predominately mixed media and installation work, Gough’s art and research focuses on uncovering and re-presenting often conflicting and subsumed histories. Much of Gough’s work refers to the impacts of colonialism, and her own family’s experiences as Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Curated Exhibition
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Max Dupain On Assignment
5 March 2010 - 23 May 2010
Max Dupain (1911-1992) is widely considered one of Australia’s greatest photographers. This exhibition showcases the diversity and longevity of Dupain’s commercial career, tracing his development as a photographer and artist from the 1940’s to the 1970’s.
A Touring Exhibition from the National Archives of Australia.
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Face To Face: Portraiture In A Digital Age.
19 March 2010 - 16 May 2010
An exploration of new forms of portraiture that incorporate a variety of different technologies from digital prints to single channel digital view to interactive installations.
A d/Lux Media ArtsTravelling Exhibition
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Iconink: Matthew Lake
23 April 2010 - 30 May 2010
Lake explores the notion of tattoos as a visual language and considers the tattoos that historical figures may have adopted.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibition Program
Intertwined: Indigenous Fibre Vessels
21 May 2010 - 18 July 2010
An exhibition of local indigenous fibre-based vessels created by some of the region’s most experienced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander weavers, showcasing the importance of this ephemeral arts practice to Australian Art.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Curated Exhibition
Chinese Community In Tropical North Queensland
21 May 2010 - 4 July 2010
An exhibition documenting the unique lifestyle and history of Chinese residents in Tropical North Queensland.
A Travelling Exhibition from the Queensland Museum.
Beverley Budgen: Paintings Of Home And Abroad
21 May 2010 - 18 July 2010
An exhibition tracing the development of a young child’s natural talents, through more than 50 years to the present day.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Curated Exhibition
Men’s Business: Napolean Oui
4 June 2010 - 11 July 2010
An exhibition comprising a variety of paintings and shields depicting the totems, animals and plants of Tropical North Queensland. The contemporary designs reflect the unique traditional Djabugay rainforest style of the large shields of the region.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibition Program
Lunch For The Trades: Ruth Downes
9 July 2010 - 29 August 2010
An exhibition that extends tribute to those who work in the trades – a recognition of talents and expertise undervalued in society. The café style spread of constructed meals is a play on the language and visual delights of modern cuisine intersected with the images of food wrought by each trade.
A Travelling Exhibition from the Manly Art Gallery and Museum.
100 Pieces: Samantha Creyton
16 July 2010 - 22 August 2010
Creyton has developed a series of small works in varied sizes and mixed media, focussing on spaces, composition and form.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibition Program
Indigenous Art From The Collection
23 July 2010 - 12 September 2010
Curated from the Cairns Regional Gallery’s collection of indigenous art, this exhibition will showcase the vibrancy of local indigenous arts and crafts practice covering painting, printmaking and sculpture since the 1970’s. This exhibition includes the work of Dennis Nona, Rosella Namok, Alick Tipoti, Lisa Michl, Ken Thaiday Sr, Danie Mellor to mention a few.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Collection Exhibition
With The Wind: Jo Wooler
23 July 2010 - 12 September 2010
An exhibition of stainless steel sculptural works exploring traditional and contemporary sailing craft of the Torres Strait, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Indonesia.
A Jo Wooler Travelling Exhibition
Pistols & Pavlova: Kristin Tennyson
27 August 2010 - 3 October 2010
Tennyson has created a body of work that explores the sensationalism surrounding past and present criminal culture.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibition Program
Attire: Josie Lowerson
3 September 2010 - 24 October 2010
Josie Lowerson presents an exhibition of new sculptural work inspired by the simple act of opening the wardrobe door and experiencing the rush of memories and emotions from the clothing hanging within.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Curated Exhibition.
64th Cairns Art Society Annual Open Art Exhibition
17 September 2010 - 31 October 2010
The Cairns Art Society’s annual exhibition of works by local, state and national artists.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibition Program
TAFE Visual Arts Students Annual Exhibition
8 October 2010 - 14 November 2010
Graduating and continuing students from the Tropical North Queensland TAFE Visual Arts Department present an exhibition of various media including digital arts, installation, ceramics, and printmaking.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibition Program
Zhonjian: Midway
29 October 2010 - 5 December 2010
Leading Australian and Chinese contemporary artists provide insights into questions of personal and cultural identity, and the implications of finding oneself ‘midway’ between cultures.
A Travelling Exhibition from the Wollongong City Gallery.
Hidden Treasures - The 2010 Postcard Show
5 November 2010 - 21 November 2010
The annual postcard show fundraising exhibition with over 100 artworks up for auction. Artworks are by local and national artists and presented on a postcard size canvas.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Fundraising Exhibition
TAFE Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Students
19 November 2010 - 26 December 2010
Graduating and continuing students from the Tropical North Queensland TAFE ATSI Visual Arts Department present an exhibition of various media.
A Cairns Regional Gallery Community Exhibition Program
The Gallipoli Series: Sidney Nolan
10 December 2010 - 6 February 2011
Throughout his artistic career, Sidney Nolan returned intermittently to the theme of Gallipoli. This series, begun in 1956 is a fitting tribute to his brother’s premature death within the broader context of Australia’s military history.
A Travelling Exhibition from the Australian War Memorial
Please contact us for further information about our exhibition program.
