Townsville City Galleries Exhibition Calendar | Jan-Jun 2026

Townsville City Galleries

EXHIBITIONS

January – June 2026

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Townsville City Council acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun, Bindal, Gugu Badhun and Nywaigi as the Traditional Owners of this land. We pay our respects to their cultures, their ancestors and their Elders, past and present – and all future generations.

Bernadette Boscacci and Shirley Collins, Dilly Bag and Fruit [detail], 2013. Jezzine Barracks, Gurambilbarra / Townsville. Photography by Andrew Rankin.

January – June 2026

March – 7 June

June – 4 October 2026

YURIYAL BRIDGEMAN:

YUBILONG(MI)BILONGYU

UNTIL 1 FEBRUARY 2026

PERC TUCKER REGIONAL GALLERY

Yuriyal Bridgeman is a leading Papua New Guinean/Australian contemporary artist, and this exhibition surveys the breadth of his art to date. Bridgeman’s work is anchored in the traditional cultural practices of his PNG community while also bringing insightful perspectives to the context of contemporary art. Born in Redcliffe, Queensland, Bridgeman now lives and works between the Redcliffe Peninsula, Meanjin/Brisbane and PNG.

Bridgeman’s artwork encompasses photography, video, painting, sculpture and installation. His photographic and video works are positioned in portraiture and social commentary, often featuring loved ones and members of his community. His paintings and sculptures, developed during his time in PNG, draw deeply from the traditions of the Yuri Alaiku men’s practices in the Simbu Province. Bridgeman is also the co-founder of the artist collective Haus Yuriyal, where he plays a key role in developing the group’s contemporary art projects.

This exhibition has been co-curated by Angela Goddard, Director of Griffith University Art Museum and respected Bougainville Elder and art curator Aunty Sana Balai.

Yuriyal Bridgeman: yubilong(mi)bilongyu is a Griffith University Art Museum touring exhibition.

THE CHILDREN’S SENSORIUM

UNTIL 8 MARCH 2026

PINNACLES GALLERY

The Children’s Sensorium is an interactive exhibition featuring light, colour, touch, sound, smell and taste to activate children’s curiosity, connect them to local Country, and introduce strategies and techniques that support emotional resilience and wellbeing.

The exhibition is designed for children aged 4 – 11 and their parents and carers. It includes sense-based installations to create an environment that is fun and engaging. It includes a variety of materials for play and is a space that children can spend time to explore their senses, feelings, thoughts, worries and hopes.

The Children’s Sensorium is curated by Grace McQuilten with leading artistic direction from Boonwurrung elder N’arwee’t Carolyn Briggs and is presented by RMIT University. It is created with leading contemporary artists including Heather Hesterman (planting and cultivation of plants), Fiona Hillary (light), Larissa Hjorth (play and games), Live Particle – Angela Clarke/Camilla Maling (embodiment), Philip Samartzis (sound), Anna Schwann (scent installation) and Hiromi Tango with Moon Girle, Vivian Qiu and Alex Danay (colour and textile installation). The exhibition features Yawa, an interactive arcade game by N'arwee’t Carolyn Briggs, Jarra Karalinar Steel, Narayana Johnson, Troy Innocent and Duncan Corrigan. Exhibition design and creative development by Anthony Clarke (Bloxas).

Hiromi Tango, Hiromi Hotel INHABITANT [detail], 2022. Archives of Feeling, 2022, RMIT Design Hub Gallery. Image courtesy of the artists and their representatives. Photo by Tobias Titz.

IN THE HEART OF THE NORTH (PART 1)

UNTIL 3 MAY 2026

PERC TUCKER REGIONAL GALLERY

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.

RICKY EMMERTON: MINTJAPUNI

UNTIL 3 MAY 2026

PERC TUCKER REGIONAL GALLERY

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.

Ricky Emmerton, KUURBOW [detail] 2025, digital print, 37 x 117 cm.

Image courtesy of the artist.

YOUNG INDIGENOUS PRINTMAKERS

UNTIL 3 MAY 2026

PERC TUCKER REGIONAL GALLERY

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. The 2025 artist mentors were Margaret Robertson and Ricky Emmerton.

IN THE HEART OF THE NORTH (PART 2)

4 FEBRUARY UNTIL 3 MAY 2026

PERC TUCKER REGIONAL GALLERY

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.

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.

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.

GARRISON

28 MARCH UNTIL 7 JUNE 2026

PINNACLES GALLERY

Garrison brings together historical and contemporary perspectives on conflict, service, and resilience through the City of Townsville Art Collection.

Featuring approximately 70 works, the exhibition spans from Douglas Green’s evocative wartime paintings to powerful contemporary interpretations by Tim Page, George Gittoes, and John Catapan. Honouring our local military and Air Force personnel, these works explore themes of memory, sacrifice, and the human experience of war, offering a profound dialogue across generations.

Presented during the Anzac period, Garrison invites reflection on the enduring impact of military history and its representation in art.

Eric Prentice Anchor THAKE, Camouflaged workshop, 14 ARD, Gorrie (14 Aircraft Repair Depot, Gorrie Airfield, Northern Territory), 1945, watercolour and pencil, 37.3 x 49.2 cm. Gift of the Estate of Laurie Stratford 2008. City of Townsville Art Collection. Accession number: 2008.0065.000.

THE PERCIVALS 2026

23 MAY UNTIL 30 AUGUST

PERC TUCKER REGIONAL GALLERY

Townsville City Galleries is proud to present the 2026 Percivals Portrait Prize exhibition. This biennial competition is Northern Australia's premier portrait prize. This year, The Percivals features exceptional artworks across three categories in painting, photography, and the depiction of animals.

The Percivals celebrates contemporary approaches to the centuries-old genre of portraiture. It showcases diverse subjects, bodies and settings. Some of the sitters are known intimately to the artists, some are self portraits, while others may be recognised as more public figures.

Beginning in 2007, The Percivals has since been showcasing the best artists from the region, the state of Queensland, and across Australia.

A Townsville City Galleries exhibition.

Seabastion Toast, How the Light Gets In, 2023, oil on canvas, 181 x 121 cm.

Winner of the acquisitive Percival Portrait Painting Prize 2024, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville. City of Townsville Art Collection. Accession number: 2025.0001.000. © Seabastion TOAST

INTIMATE IMAGINARIES

20 JUNE UNTIL 4 OCTOBER 2026

PINNACLES GALLERY

Intimate Imaginaries is a major group exhibition featuring artists who currently work out of the internationally renowned studio of Arts Project Australia (APA), a gallery and studio based in Northcote, Victoria, that supports artists with intellectual disabilities. This major exhibition highlights 13 vital contemporary practices that have emerged from this self-described ‘boisterous hive of creativity’ over the past five decades.

Featuring Fulli Andrinopoulos, Samraing Chea, Alan Constable, Wendy Dawson, Bronwyn Hack, Julian Martin, Chris O’Brien, Anthony Romagnano, Lisa Reid, Mark Smith, Cathy Staughton, Georgia Szmerling and Terry Williams.

Intimate Imaginaries is a TarraWarra Museum of Art exhibition, in partnership with Arts Project Australia, touring with NETS Victoria. Curated by Anthony Fitzpatrick.

This project has been assisted by Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body, and the Visions of Australia program.

Exhibition Partners and Supporters

NETS Victoria Supporters

FRIENDS OF THE GALLERIES

Our Friends of the Galleries membership program will keep our members up to date on gallery opportunities and news, as well as offering discounts and advanced bookings on our programs.

Friends of the Galleries can engage in a range of activities that go beyond just visiting and viewing, offering opportunities to engage with local artists, art enthusiasts, volunteers, and supporters of the arts in our region.

Benefits include:

• Invitations to all opening functions throughout the year

• Advance invitations to Townsville City Galleries events including artist talks, workshops, tours and lectures

• Monthly e-newsletter to keep up to date on the latest galleries news

• Membership exclusive events at the galleries

• 30% discount on paid events

• 10% discount on all items available in our Gallery Shop

• 10% discount on Townsville City Council’s Theatre Season at the Townsville Civic Theatre.

The membership season runs from 1 November – 31 October* .

Our Friends of the Galleries play an important role in our galleries with their ongoing support for our exhibitions, events, and activities, and we look forward to sharing our new and exciting programs with you!

Single membership price is $45, or $30 with a Concession card.

*All memberships commence 1 November and run until 31 October the following year.

Sign up now to become a member!

GALLERIES E-NEWSLETTER

Free monthly email updates are available with specific information on exhibitions, workshops, events, and more. Scan the QR code and select Galleries as the e-news you would like to receive.

WALKING TRAIL

AUGMENTED REALITY EDITION

Discover the many amazing street art murals Townsville has to offer by taking a self-guided walking tour of the city using the Street Art Walking Trail: Augmented Reality edition map.

Watch out for augmented reality stickers near the street art murals and use your smartphone to transform the artworks into an augmented reality dreamscape.

Collect your FREE copy of the map available at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery or scan the QR Code.

The city’s street art scene is constantly evolving, so keep your eyes peeled for new works not on this map and follow Townsville City Galleries on social media to stay up to date.

Townsville Street Art Walking Trail

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Are you looking for a fun and engaging way to explore the arts? Look no further, as Townsville City Galleries offers a wide range of education opportunities and public programs in conjunction with our gallery exhibitions, including educational programs, gallery tours, workshops, launches, and events. Scan the QR code below to find out more about what we have on offer!

Townsville City Galleries

TownsvilleCityGalleries

What's On Townsville

GALLERY SHOP

Experience an exciting selection of exhibitions at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery showcasing works of artists from North Queensland, Australia, and all over the world. Discover the talent from the Townsville Region in our Gallery Shop which offers a range of unique artworks and handmade items from North Queensland and Australia.

Perc Tucker Regional Gallery

Cnr Denham and Flinders Street, Townsville QLD 4810 (07) 4727 9011

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Townsville City Galleries

TownsvilleCityGalleries townsville.qld.gov.au galleries@townsville.qld.gov.au

Pinnacles Gallery Riverway Arts Centre 20 Village Boulevard, Thuringowa Central QLD 4817 (07) 4773 8871

Cover image: Connie Hoedt, Microcosm [detail], 1985, porcelain wheel-thrown, added hand-built sections with pre-coloured detail; electrically fired 1180°C, 18.4 x 18.4 cm diameter, impressed on base with monogram. City of Townsville Art Collection. Accession number: 1992.34.