EXHIBITIONS
The UMI Arts Gallery in Manoora, Gimuy/Cairns, holds five exhibitions every year featuring the artwork and crafts of our talented member artists. Each exhibition has a different theme and rationale, and showcases artists at different stages of their artistic career, from emerging to established. All gallery artworks are available for viewing and purchase in the online shop, and you can also view past exhibition catalogues below!
COmING SOON
Culture Through Our Eyes First Nations Youth Exhibition &
Exhibition Ready 2026 Graduates Exhibition
PAST Exhibtions
Freshwater Saltwater
2026 Group Members Exhibition
The Summer Show
You & Me
2026 Group Members Exhibition
Featuring 13 artists and 35 artworks, The Summer Show 2026 brings together a variety of materials, perspectives, and artistic voices. Each piece tells its own story while adding to a broader reflection o n life in the tropical north. Together, the artworks invite audiences to experience the beauty, power, and spirit of nature through the eyes of First Nations artists and their lasting bond to Country. Showcasing the talents of both emerging and mid‑career artists, You & Me celebrates the spirit of unity and collaboration that guides UMI Arts’ mission to support and preserve First Nations arts and culture.
In 2026, this exhibition brings together a vibrant collection of acrylic paintings on canvas, polymer‑clay works, monotype prints, headdresses, and woven sculptures.
FRESHWATER SALTWATER at Mulgrave Gallery
UMI Arts’ Special 20th Anniversary Exhibition
In our 20th Anniversary commemorative exhibition, UMI Arts proudly showcased artworks from some of our talented long-standing members at the newly refurbished Mulgrave Gallery. As a testament to its achievement, the exhibition featured 20 artists from across our region with over 100 artworks on display from 28th of June to 23rd August 2025. The name “Freshwater” symbolises the Aboriginal nations of Far North Queensland, where rivers flow across the land and through the rainforest from coastal Cardwell to the Cape York Peninsula. “Saltwater” represents the Island nations and Torres Strait people, who are surrounded by the oceans.
FRESHWATER SALTWATER
2025 Group Members Exhibition
Freshwater Saltwater is UMI Arts’ signature annual group exhibition celebrating the incredible talent and cultural strength of our senior and established member artists. In 2025, we proudly present 30+ new works by 12 of our most established First Nations artists from across Far North Queensland. The exhibition title reflects a powerful ideology: mainland Aboriginal custodians, deeply connected to freshwater, and Torres Strait Islander peoples, surrounded by and connected to saltwater. As freshwater flows through rivers and streams to meet the coastal sea, these two sacred elements come together — just as our diverse cultures do.
CULTURE THROUGH OUR EYES
2025 First Nations Youth Exhibition
Culture Through Our Eyes is a vibrant annual group exhibition celebrating the talents of young First Nations artists from Cairns and surrounding communities. The exhibition presents the works of 19 talented students, featuring 31 artworks. Each student shares their unique approach to conveying emotions and stories through various mediums, including acrylic paintings, photography, lino prints, and lino block prints on fabrics. The artworks illustrate the harmonious connection between traditional and modern interpretations within the Young First Nation visual art movement from FNQ and the Torres Strait Islands.
THE SUMMER SHOW
2024 -2025 Group Members Exhibition
2024 ‘Exhibition-Ready’ Graduate Exhibition
Jinneecka Don
& Cecelia Slade
Since 2023, these two member artists have been thoughtfully building bodies of works inspired by their own memories and experiences. Each of our annual exhibitions holds a special place in our hearts, but the Graduates Exhibition brings a unique joy. It’s a moment to witness emerging artists take a bold step toward their first solo showcase, and to see their confidence and artistry flourish.
FRESHWATER SALTWATER
2024 Group Members Exhibition
Freshwater Saltwater, a highly anticipated annual curated group exhibition, is a vibrant celebration of the diverse artistic expressions of Far North Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities. The exhibition is based around the holistic existence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Freshwater represents the Aboriginal nations of Far North Queensland, with rivers flowing across the land and through the rainforest from coastal Cardwell to the Cape York Peninsula. Saltwater represents the Island nations and Torres Straight people, surrounded by the ocean.
UMI Arts showcased fourteen established artists across the region, with over twenty-four artworks in large formats, with jewellery with the same theme and inspiration.
CULTURE THROUGH OUR EYES
2024 First Nations Youth Exhibition
