Jeff Gibbs
The Northern Rivers Community Gallery has opened its 2026 exhibition program with four compelling exhibitions that explore landscape, memory, magic and inner worlds through painting, photography and digital animation.
Opening on Thursday 8 January, the January exhibitions bring together leading Australian artists alongside emerging regional voices, offering audiences a diverse and immersive cultural experience at the Ballina-based gallery.
Gallery Coordinator Imbi Davidson said the new season reflects the Gallery’s commitment to showcasing thoughtful, contemporary practice while remaining grounded in place.
“NRCG is excited to launch its 2026 exhibition program, which showcases leading Australian artists alongside emerging talent from across the region,” Ms Davidson said.
“Our first series of exhibitions offers a powerful opportunity to engage with artworks that explore nature, magic, landscape and the spaces beyond.”
Forests, Rituals and Inner Landscapes
Into the Forest by Karyn Fendley presents a deeply contemplative series of landscape paintings drawn from the lakes, estuaries and forests of coastal national parks in northern New South Wales. Grounded in two decades of practice, Fendley’s work reflects an enduring respect for the natural world and invites viewers into quiet, layered environments shaped by time and observation.
In Temporal Collapse, artist Linsey Gosper explores the intersection of art and magic through analogue photography and darkroom processes. Central to the exhibition is the altar — a symbolic site of ritual, devotion and offering — with imagery drawn from personal magical practice, myth and esoteric tradition.
Responding to Place and Experience
A Light Hold by multidisciplinary artist Eliza Adam responds directly to surrounding environments and histories of place. Through careful observation of the natural landscape, Adam’s work becomes a meditation on materiality and humanity’s relationship with the world.
Meanwhile, Boundary Rider, a collaborative exhibition by Jacqueline and Dane Scotcher, combines abstract painting with slow digital animation. The duo explores internal, often intangible terrains, reflecting on how connection with natural rhythms can offer deeper inner knowing in an increasingly noisy external world.
Exhibition Details
All four exhibitions run until Sunday 1 March 2026, with the official exhibition launch held 5.30pm–7.30pm, Thursday 8 January.
The Northern Rivers Community Gallery is located at 44 Cherry Street, Ballina, and is open Wednesday to Friday from 9am to 3pm, and weekends from 9.30am to 1pm.
The January exhibition program signals a strong start to 2026 for regional arts, reinforcing Ballina’s role as a cultural hub for the Northern Rivers.
