Exhibitions

Browse all of our exhibitions, from past events to what's showing now.

Paper Tigers

Paper Tigers Exhibition - An Anthology of Australian Photojournalism by Head On Foundation.

Melting Pot 2024 - Cairns Potters Club 50th Jubilee National Ceramics Exhibition

This jubilee exhibition celebrates a passion for pottery with entries from all over Australia, making Melting Pot a significant national event.

Dancer: A National Portrait Gallery Exhibition

Drawn from the National Portrait Gallery collection and incorporating the work of contemporary photographers, Dancer reflects the freedom and joy of dance and its power to connect.

Janjari by Dr Fiona Foley

Janjari Exhibition at Court House Gallery

Cultural Narratives of the North

First Nations artists Paul Bong, Sheryl Burchill, Daniel O’Shane and Glen Mackie present a selection of accomplished original etchings and vinylcuts (relief-prints from vinyl).

“The voices of my ancestors’ echo through time and continue to impart cultural learning that forms the identity of who I am, my world view and how I live my life. The voices of those who came before are still strong and will survive the passing of time.” (Harriet Mills)

Sovereignty - Centre Stage

Art, dance, song, and ceremony serve as timeless conduits for transmitting cultural narratives and understandings of the cosmos for thousands of generations. A Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and Brisbane Portrait Prize Satellite Exhibition.

In a dimly lit, sparse room with peeling paint, an Indigenous man stands barefoot and poised against the wall, wearing a suit and traditional face paint. A figure in a vibrant red dress moves dynamically in the foreground, creating a blur of motion. Sunlight streams through the windows, casting dramatic shadows. This evocative scene is part of the *All Come Under* exhibition at the Court House Gallery, highlighting the collaboration and creative expression of artists Darren Blackman, Zane Saunders, and Bonemap.

All Come Under - Darren Blackman, Zane Saunders + Bonemap

Court House Gallery | All Come Under is an exhibition by a collaboration of artists. Their friendship and respect for each other are collegial and affirm the power of creative expression to communicate.

Charcoal - Yarrabah Arts & Cultural Precinct

Explore the cultural and artistic significance of charcoal at Yarrabah Arts & Cultural Precinct's Charcoal exhibition

Perspective – 2023 Queensland Regional Art Awards Touring Exhibition by Flying Arts Alliance Inc.

Perspective is the touring exhibition of Flying Arts Alliance’s signature art prize, the Queensland Regional Art Awards (QRAA). The exhibition features work from the 2023 QRAA which will tour regional Queensland throughout 2024.

Compositional Utterances

Compositional Utterances is a site-responsive, collaborative exhibition by three artists whose material-led practices share feminist and ecological concerns

I am Here by Indigenous Design Labs

I Am Here pays tribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders throughout Cairns. The purpose of the exhibition is to honour and celebrate Elders while also creating an opportunity for the young Indigenous creatives to connect and yarn with them on a regular basis.

Australian Watercolour Muster 2023

The Australian Watercolour Muster features an exhibition of watercolour paintings by artists from around the nation, and a five-day public program of workshops and events.

Accessorise - Sixfold Project

Thursday 2 November 2023 – Saturday 6 January 2024 Accessorise is the latest collaboration between Australian artist collective Sixfold Project. Six “Friends-Over-Long-Distance” come together from across Australia and the Pacific to deliver an exhibition of works at Court House Gallery alongside a range of workshops for adults and children.

Vessels, Vehicles, Velocity (vroom, vroom, vroom) exhibition

Vessels, Vehicles, Velocity (vroom, vroom, vroom) is a collection of reminiscences – some real, having actual coordinates in the space-time continuum, and others fantastical.

How We Relate - Yalanji Arts Exhibition

Located in Mossman Gorge Aboriginal Community, on the border of the Daintree National Park, Yalanji Arts nurtures and develops artists to showcase culture and generate individual and community growth.

Understory Film Festival 2022 Finalist Film Screening

Currently screening is the Understory Film Festival 2022 Finalist Short List, an extraordinary program of films that exemplify the filmmaking talent that abounds in the region.

Thomas Chen - An Extension of Myself Exhibition

An Extension of Myself is a collection of artworks exploring the complex relationship between creativity and identity.

Receive>Respond 2023 Exhibition

The Receive>Respond arts challenge and culminating exhibition provide an opportunity for artists aged 15 to 25 in the Cairns region to share their passion for art and collaboration.

Past, Present, Future Exhibition

Past, Present, Future exhibition is a celebration of the vibrant South-East Queensland creative arts community that came out of the Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art (CAIA) program at the Queensland College of Art (QCA), Griffith University, which since its inception, has gained a far greater geographical reach.

Asia Pacific Video Exhibition

Produced in conjunction with Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art's (QAGOMA) flagship exhibition series ‘The 10th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’, this exhibition gives Cairns audiences the opportunity to experience a diversity of video works from the QAGOMA Collection.

Colourful Country Exhibition

Pormpuraaw Art & Culture Centre is well known for their innovative ghost net sculptures and print making. However, their paintings deserve equal recognition and praise.

Tell Me A Story Exhibition

This Exhibition provides kindergarten and primary school-aged children living in Far North Queensland the opportunity to have their artwork exhibited at an art gallery and receive public recognition for their creativity and skills.

Passing The Torch Exhibition

Celebrating the influence and legacy of the Murray sisters on the Girringun Aboriginal Art Centre, this exhibition presents significant stylistic examples from the Girringun canon alongside new ceramics by Art Centre artists.

Close up image of a bilum (bag) with a zig zag pattern

Bilum Stories Exhibition

Bilum Stories brings together women from Cairns and Brisbane each with their own bilum story to share that just as the craft is carried through generations so too are the stories of the women who own, make and use these woven bags.

I Am Who I Was When I Was Ten Exhibition

As you get older, fewer and fewer things seem new to you - except in art. Making art is a challenge that never gives way and never runs out of things to discover. When you’re making art, you are ten again.

Woven Stories Exhibition

Woven Stories provides some anthropological context to its sibling exhibition, Bilum Stories. Items borrowed from collections held by James Cook University and some private collections include bilums for births, deaths, marriages, and ceremonial bilums marking the different stages of male initiation.

The Healing Power of Industrial Ink & Magic, a Sister Cities Exchange exhibition

Cairns and Riga have been sister cities since 1990. Of all our sister cities, Riga has participated the most in exchanges of a visual arts nature, including ceramics, photography, textiles, and now printmaking.

Cairns Sketchfest 2022 Exhibition

This exhibition and workshops program celebrates the 35th anniversary of our sister cities relationship with Scottsdale, Arizona, and will feature sketches of the two cities and surrounding areas by artists working in the environment.

Gifts From Our Cities Exhibition

The Sister Cities program aims to develop meaningful and long-term links with cities and communities in other countries, to achieve a greater level of international understanding and goodwill between peoples.

Cairns Festival Turns 60 Exhbition Image

Cairns Festival Exhibition - Celebrating 60 Years

View the dynamic soul of our city through curiosity, creativity, and culture, celebrating 60 years of the Cairns Festival - a journey through the archives.

CIAF Fashion Story Exhibition

A celebration of Queensland First Peoples’ fashion design, wearable art, photography and performance as seen on the runway and on Country through the pandemic.

Last Updated: 5 March 2024

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