In the raw, unrefined earth, Cairns ceramicist Gabrielle Cooney finds a canvas for her creative expression. She has embarked on a journey of discovery that has led her to the heart of clay’s innate beauty.
Gabrielle Cooney is a ceramicist known for hand‑built, textural, raw clay works. She creates quirky character bowls, sculptural egg‑ and pod‑like forms, and rough‑hewn vessels that celebrate imperfection and the tactile qualities of clay. She works under the label Flintstone Designs, a name that reflects her earthy, rugged aesthetic.
Her ceramic critters bear the marks of both the material and the maker. Each critter created is an exploration of the interplay between human intention and the organic nature of clay. Guided by her hands and a deep connection to the earth, she embraces the imperfections and irregularities that arise during the hand-building process. The malleability of the clay allows her to break free from the constraints of conventional wheel-thrown forms, giving rise to unique pieces that possess a rugged authenticity.
Each piece has a primal rawness and elemental energy, they beckon viewers to touch, feel, and ponder the bonds that tie us to the Earth. In a world that often emphasizes the polished and perfected, her works stand as a tribute to the beauty found in embracing the unrefined, the unfinished, and the authentic.
Gabrielle’s 2026 exhibition ‘Eye Spy – Fisheyes’ comprised of 43 unique ceramic fish‑eye plates, each one individually shaped, glazed, and fired to celebrate the distinct textures, colours, and patterns observed in marine life.
Whilst browsing through the remarkable reference book Swainston’s Fishes of Australia, the artist became captivated by the extraordinary diversity, colour, and intricate structures found within the eyes of Australian fish species. What began as a simple moment of curiosity grew into a sustained creative investigation, exploring how these extraordinary visual organs might be translated into the language of ceramics. Fish eyes—often overlooked despite their evolutionary sophistication—offered a perfect subject through which to examine the intersection of scientific observation and artistic imagination.
Mark Misic
Misic’s practice is concerned with the intersection of the physical human experience and universal phenomenology. His work explores the strange couplings, flows and alliances that occur when our internal systems of self-governance and human physicality morph with the primordial landscape.
He is a multidisciplinary artist with over twenty years of solo and group exhibitions.
Misic has been a member of numerous Art groups: Damp, TramJatra, Melbourne & Kolkata Tramway Friendship, ArtTag and Beautiful Chaos.
Misic is a qualified yoga teacher. He has a Master of Fine Art, Bachelor of Fine Art and a Diploma of Education.
Recent Exhibitions: 2026 Conditions for re-entry Part 2, Northsite, Cairns, Luminous Transient Events-diamond paintings, Five walls Gallery, Melbourne, Elemental masks & projections, Red Gallery, Melbourne, 2025 Rainshadow Magnet Gallery, Melbourne, Scene & Seen Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Ballarat, Thresholds, Northsite, Cairns, 2024 Percival Photographic Portrait Prize, 2018 Wild Cries of HaHa / Black Mountain Paintings & Drawings, Tablelands Regional Gallery, Atherton, 2017 Art Now FNQ, Cairns Art Gallery, Cairns.
Suzon Fuks
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Suzon Fuks is a multidisciplinary artivist whose award-winning work examines the impact of technology on humanity and the environment, water issues, and the experiences of women and people seeking asylum. Born in Brussels, she trained in performing arts and completed a Master’s in Visual Arts at La Cambre (1979–1984). She moved to Australia in 1996, serving as Artistic Director of the multi-arts organisation Igneous from 1997 to 2024. Since the early 2000s, Suzon has been internationally recognised as a pioneer of networked performance, creating online works that foreground interaction, hybridity and participation. Awarded a three-year Australia Council Fellowship (2009–2012), she conceived Waterwheel, an art–science platform dedicated to water, which connected more than 1,500 artists, scientists, activists, teachers and young people across 34 countries and 81 locations. In 2021, she co-created ‘Before The First’ with Annie Abrahams and Helen Varley Jamieson, retracing early histories of internet performance. Since 2019, Suzon has developed a major body of work using locally sourced electronic waste. This includes artist books reflecting on the shift from analogue to digital, wearable pieces, miniature and large-scale installations, performances and videos. ‘e-Galaxy’, her most extensive project in this field, builds on two decades of site-responsive practice and innovative audience participation. Her works using upcycled electronics have been presented widely, including ‘Be Like Body–Obsolete #4’ (four international festivals), ‘Assemble’ at the 2023 Prague Quadrennial, ‘Archeo-Galaxy’ for Magdalena Montpellier, ‘e-Galaxy video #1′ at ISEA 2024, and in 2025 the ‘e-Galaxy’ installation and video #2 at the State Library of Queensland, the Digital Art Space (Munich), Le Lieu Multiple–Espace Mendès (Poitiers), and Rurart (Rouillé). Suzon Fuks has also been awarded a Copeland Fellowship at the Five Colleges (Massachusetts), a Fellowship at the Australian Choreographic Centre, and an Asialink Residency in India. |
Jamie Cole
0Jamie Cole is an Australian urban-pop and pop-surrealist artist based in Far North Queensland. His practice blends bold graphic linework, saturated colour, camp humour and cultural critique to explore queer identity and the strange contradictions of contemporary Australia. Drawing from pop iconography, retro advertising, animation and the lush visual language of the tropics, Cole creates vibrant works that fuse personal narrative with sharp social observation.
His work interrogates visibility, resilience and reinvention, situating queer experience within the geographical, psychological and political landscapes that shape it. Using acrylic, aerosol, collage and mixed media, Cole examines evolving cultural narratives with a distinctive blend of wit and emotional depth.
Cole has exhibited widely across Queensland, NSW and the ACT, and has been selected as a finalist in national art prizes including the Percival Portrait Prize, the National Contemporary Art Prize and the Fisher’s Ghost Art Awards. His pieces range from celebratory and playful to sharply satirical, positioning him as an artist who uses colour, symbolism and irony to open powerful conversations about identity, power and the future.
Hannah Murray
Hannah Murray is a Cairns-based contemporary artist and arts educator. She has completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts (2002) from James Cook University, and a Graduate Diploma in Education (2003), The University of Melbourne. Hannah works in a range of media including painting, drawing, printmaking as well as product and fabric design. Her tropical vanitas and floating worlds are deliberately idyllic, almost cliché representations and attempt to capture the beautiful yet often hostile duality of living in the hot, humid, and volatile tropics. On the surface, the work appears strangely seductive and evokes wry notions of beauty or utopia. However, beneath the surface, the work also aims to provide a bittersweet reminder of the fleeting and fragile nature of all worldly delights, and themes of loss and melancholy are ever-present.
Jenar Kidjing
Jenar Kidjing, is the stage name of Farindo Reska Jenar, born on May 27, 1991, in Wonogiri, Central Java, Indonesia. As a self-taught composer and musician with over 12 years of experience, he has developed a specialization in creating original scores and musical programs for diverse artistic disciplines, including theatre, dance, and film. His commitment to the arts is exemplified by his role as the Music Director at Komunitas Sakatoya.
Beyond his directorial duties, Jenar is an active force in the contemporary music scene, notably as the founder of his personal Gamelan Rock Band project, Kidjing and The Black Mamba. He is also a sought-after collaborator, working with various interdisciplinary artists and performers. His programming expertise has been instrumental in organizing major cultural events, including Relasi Bunyi by Komunitas Sakatoya, the Ecosystem Apocalypse Festival by BringIn Foundation, and the Yogyakarta Cultural Festival by the Yogyakarta Cultural Department.
His career is marked by notable achievements, including the prestigious Best Music Director award at the Yogyakarta Theatre Festival 2016. He has documented his powerful live performances through the publication of two albums: DARAS in 2018 and VULCRUM in 2020.
Ulet Ifansasti
Ulet Ifansasti is a freelance photojournalist and documentary photographer, with interest in social, environmental and cultural issues. He was born in Papua and currently based in Yogyakarta-Indonesia.
Ulet joined international photo agency Getty Images in 2008 and has been a regular contributor and stringer since. As a freelance photographer Ulet covers a variety of assignments for editorial and commercial clients and remains committed to exploring personal projects. In 2014 and 2015 he was selected as one of photographer of the year by The Guardian.
His works have been published in many leading publications including : UNICEF / Save The Children / GREENPEACE International / National Geographic / GEO Magazine / The New York Times / The International Herald Tribune / The Wall Street Journal / STERN / Der Spiegel / The Guardian / TIME / USA Today / LIFE / National Geographic Traveler / World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) / DestinAsian.
Tetsuya Tabata
Tetsuya Tabata is a Japanese-born visual artist with expertise in visual projection, projection mapping techniques, and set design. He has many years of experience creating innovative and immersive elements in the world of visual and performing arts.
As co-founder of the media performance unit 66b/cell, he was a pioneer in Tokyo’s vibrant VJ scene, transitioning from graphics and game design to projecting computer-generated imagery onto large-scale kinetic sculptures. His global portfolio includes set design, animation, and projection mapping for performances and installations at prestigious events such as Ars Electronica, The Japan Virtual Reality Society, Sydney Powerhouse, Brisbane Festival, and numerous venues across New York City, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Tetsuya has been an artist-in-residence as part of the Untethered Project at Tanks Arts Centre, focusing on sculpture and projection mapping. He recently collaborated with NAISDA College on the visual design and projections for the ATI dance production at Carriageworks, Sydney. He has also created a series of projection works for the Cairns Festival’s Light Moves event at Lake Placid.
His past roles include producer and art director, creating visual content and stage productions for live events, and producing and directing large-scale events for upscale clients such as Louis Vuitton, Piaget, and Audi. Tetsuya is also an avid jewellery maker, crafting small-scale pieces that blend wearable art with miniature sculpture — creating tiny, intricate works of art.
Mariana Verdaasdonk
Dr. Maria Adriana (Mariana) Verdaasdonk is an interdisciplinary artist with over 25 years of experience spanning continents and cultures. Born in the Netherlands and raised in Melbourne, she spent 25 formative years in Japan, which has deeply influenced her approach to life and art. Since relocating to Cairns in 2020, Mariana has been integrating her diverse experiences into unique creative expressions.
Mariana’s expertise encompasses multimedia installation, performance art, and communication strategies developed through roles in the arts, education, mental health, and commercial enterprises in Australia and Japan. As a licensed teacher and practitioner of Japanese floral art (Ikebana), Mariana blends this tradition with a contemporary aesthetic, creating a “tropical zen” approach to floral design.
Her portfolio includes costume design, sculpture, and immersive performance installations showcased globally — from Ars Electronica and Sydney Powerhouse to venues in New York City, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Her proficiency in event management, storyboarding, and performance has contributed to projects for prestigious clients including Louis Vuitton, Nokia, and Piaget, reflecting her commitment to delivering bespoke, high-quality experiences.
Kim Rayner
Kim Rayner is a Contemporary Australian painter whose work is rooted in a deep sensivity to place and the unseen threads that connect land, light, and spirit. Her practice is intuitve and contemplative, often beginning with time spent walking, observing, and listening to the landscape.
With a background in Fine Art, and a Bachelor of Fine Art from the National Art School, Sydney, Australia, she brings a personal and poetic approach to painting, focusing on the experience of immersion rather than representation. Her work invites the viewer into quiet spaces—where form and light emerge, rhythm unfolds, and a sense of presence can be felt.
She has exhibited in New South Wales and Queensland in both solo and group exhibitions, and her paintings are held in private collections throughout Australia. Her work is also featured in public and commercial settings.