UMI Arts launched its 2026 exhibition season last week with a gathering of artists, family and friends at the Jensen Street gallery to open two group shows — The Summer Show 2026 and You & Me 2026, featuring a cohort of 18 First Nations artists and nearly 60 artworks exploring connection to Country, culture and community through painting, ceramics, weaving, prints and sculpture.
Participating artists include Daisy Hamlot, Dyrrin Murgha, Erin Jia, Ganomi Barsa, Kassandra Savage, Lisa Michl ko-manggén, Wanda Gibson, Shane Gibson, Edna Ambrym, Paul Bong, Lila Creek, Gertie Deeral, Doreen Hart, Connie Rovina, Philomena Yeatman, Salome Yeatman, Cecelia Slade, and Devinia Wainwright.
UMI Arts' Exhibitions and Gallery officer Aleksandra Kostic D said The Summer Show celebrates the strong cultural connections First Nations artists maintain with seasonal change and the natural environment.
"The artists in this exhibition explore their connections to Country, culture and community through a diverse range of materials and artistic practices," she said.
"Each artwork reflects personal stories, lived experience and cultural knowledge connected to their homeland and sea."
Through painting, printmaking, ceramics and sculptural forms, UMI Arts' exhibiting artists have translated their perspectives and practices into vivid expressions of the region's landscape and cultural connections.
Featuring emerging and established artists, The Summer Show highlights the cultural continuum and resilience of First Nations practitioners across Far North Queensland.
UMI Arts is the leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultural organisation for Far North Queensland.
The exhibition runs from the 27th of March to the 17th of June 2026 and is open Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm at UMI Arts.
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