Canoe makes splash at Noosa gallery

AN outrigger canoe illustrated with intricately hand-painted Indigenous art will make a splash at Noosa Regional Gallery this July in celebration of NAIDOC Week.
Nandjimadji Art Group, a collective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists living with a disability, produced the impressive piece.
Meaning “to lighten the load”, Nandjimadji artists meet regularly on the Sunshine Coast to paint, create and yarn together.
Gallery director Nina Shadforth said she was excited about the project.
“I am excited about the brightly painted outrigger canoe coming to the gallery, as it is not every day that you see sport and art combined in the same space, let alone as a collaborative project,” she said.
The canoe will feature among some of the group’s other works, alongside a solo show of paintings by local Indigenous artist Hope O’Chin.
There will also be a small group exhibition of traditional paintings by artists in the Red Desert Gatherings Art Group, from Alice Springs (established by Steps Group Australia).
Ms Shadforth said the gallery would host an artist talk with Hope O’Chin as part of the Gallery’s Coffee and Conversation series, on Wednesday 27 July, at 11am.
The official opening for these exhibitions will be held on Friday 1 July, at 6pm, at the Noosa Regional Gallery, Tewantin, and is free and open to the public.
Works will be on show until Sunday 21 August, with free entry to the gallery.