Exhibitions

In the Heart of the North (Part 1)

Exhibition dates: 29 November 2025 to 3 May 2026

In the Heart of the North is a rolling exhibition of newly commissioned artworks, works from the City of Townsville Art Collection and extraordinary art on loan from other cultural institutions. All evoke the distinctiveness of life in North Queensland by artists living locally or visiting from elsewhere.

The first part of In the Heart of the North includes Deeper Than Dancing (2024), a filmic love letter to Townsville-Gurambilbarra and its people, originally commissioned by Gurambilbarra-based performing arts company, Dancenorth Australia.

Launch Event

Friday 28 November 2025
6pm for 6:30pm speeches
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery
Free, no bookings required.

Please note, this exhibition will be launching alongside Yuriyal Bridgeman, Ricky Emmerton and Young Indigenous Printmakers.

In the Heart of the North (Part 2)

Exhibition dates: 4 February – 3 May 2026

Townsville City Council acknowledges the sensitive nature of this exhibition. Visitors are advised that it may contain the names and images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The exhibition also includes colonial historical content that some visitors may find confronting. Viewer discretion is advised, and visitors are encouraged to engage with the exhibition respectfully and with sensitivity.

This is the second in a series of new exhibitions featuring artworks from the City of Townsville Art Collection. These are accompanied by pieces which have been newly commissioned by the Gallery, either by local artists or those who have spent significant time in Townsville. These include works by Baylee Griffin, Anne Lord, Tony Di Giacomo and Cameron Robbins.

All artworks have been selected because they depict elements of life in the ‘north’, which includes North and Far North Queensland, along with our regional neighbours in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

With Townsville home to Australia’s largest Army base, the City of Townsville Art Collection includes many works depicting national and international military and peacekeeping activities.

In contrast, other works in this exhibition evoke the natural qualities of landscape and Country in this vast and diverse region, from lush tropical vegetation found in suburban backyards to the Spinifex country of northwest Queensland.

In the Heart of the North continues upstairs on Level One.

Exhibitions Launch

• Friday 13 February 2026
• From 6pm
• Perc Tucker Regional Gallery
• Free, no bookings required

Floor Talk

• With Baylee Griffin, Anne Lord and Tony Di Giacomo
• Saturday 14 February 2026
• 10:30 - 11:30am
• Perc Tucker Regional Gallery
• Free, no bookings required

Image credit:

William Jamieson ALLOM, Townsville [painted from David Brands Slipway, Ross Creek], 1884, oil on canvas
Purchased, 1995. With the assistance of Mr Paul Martinez of wilson/ryan/grose Lawyers.
City of Townsville Art Collection. Accession number: 1995.0095.000.
Image: Michael Marzik. Courtesy of the Artist and City of Townsville Art Collection.

Mintjapuni: Ricky Emmerton

Exhibition dates: 29 November 2025 to 3 May 2026

Mintjapuni is part of Ricky Emmerton’s PhD studies at James Cook University. He has introduced the Kalkatungu words mintja (shine) and puni (to-make or to-cause) to investigate how mintja aesthetics in Indigenous art relate to spirituality. In cultural art practices, “to mintjapuni” involves painting or decorating the body, objects, or the ground to enhance spiritual power, whether for ceremonial or everyday applications. Focusing on Kalkatungu art, Emmerton identified a lack of aesthetic appreciation and critique of Indigenous art more broadly. Seeking deeper insight, he gathered firsthand accounts from Elders, community members, and other Kalkatungu artists throughout North Queensland. Through yarning and interviews, he found that Kalkatungu people—himself included—aspire to maintain cultural integrity by fostering spiritual connections with their ancestors and Country. The spiritual aesthetics of mintja serve as one powerful means of affirmation in this ongoing cultural practice.

Launch Event

Friday 28 November 2025
6pm for 6:30pm speeches
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery
Free, no bookings required.

Please note, this exhibition will be launching alongside Yuriyal Bridgeman, In the Heart of the North and Young Indigenous Printmakers.

Young Indigenous Printmakers

Exhibition dates: 29 November 2025 to 3 May 2026

Young Indigenous Printmakers is a collaborative outreach project run in partnership between Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts and Townsville City Galleries. The free education program gives First Nations senior students the opportunity to learn and experience lino carving, printing and editioning, and gain exhibition experience. The initiative seeks to engage, foster and promote artistic development. School groups participate in a two-day intensive workshop facilitated by a printmaking expert and a First Nations artist. Participants are introduced to printmaking techniques and assisted to explore their Indigenous Culture/s and identity. The first day of the program is held at the school and the second is spent in The Studio at Umbrella. The students’ prints are exhibited in Umbrella’s gallery or at Townsville City Galleries once a semester.

This year's artist mentors are Margaret Robertson and Ricky Emmerton.

Launch Event

Friday 28 November 2025
6pm for 6:30pm speeches
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery
Free, no bookings required.

Please note, this exhibition will be launching alongside Yuriyal Bridgeman, In the Heart of the North and Ricky Emmerton.

To find out more about the program, visit the Young Indigenous Printmakers page of the Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts website.