Opening event: Jo Lankester | Paula Payne

Onespace invites you to the opening of Topographia: harmonies of place, an exhibition by Jo Lankester in the Main gallery and Shiftings Sands of Land and Memory, an exhibition by Paula Payne in the Lounge gallery.

Exhibition dates: 11 April - 10 May 2025
Exhibition opening event: Saturday 12 April, 5pm - 7pm 

In richly layered prints, Jo Lankester evokes the texture of Queensland’s north. A recent move onto the foreshore of Townsville’s North Ward, an established beachside suburb which overlooks the sea toward Magnetic Island, has ushered birds into the foreground of her imagery, along with the trees, undergrowth and lichens that attract them. Behind the abstracted layers of her prints is an ambient tropical light exuding local heat, warmth and fecundity. In this exhibition she includes the black and white cockatoos which frequent the local Beach Almond trees between September and March (when they produce seeds). She describes these birds as ‘curious and confident characters’, overlaying their images on surfaces constructed like the lichens Lankester finds so compelling—thick, deep and full of mysterious organic layers. This background shines through the images of the birds, the texture and tenor of their form denoting their sensitivity and longevity—as avian creatures (the great survivors of the dinosaur age)—within the global ecosystem.  

Shifting Sands of Land and Memory features a new series of acrylic paintings by Magan-djin/Brisbane-based artist Paula Payne. Drawing inspiration from recent time spent as Artist in Residence at the Broken Hill Art Exchange—located on Wilyakali Country in far-west New South Wales—this new series captures the emotive resonance of the surrounding landscapes. Payne’s abstracted recollections reflect her travels through the Menindee Lakes in Kinchega National Park and the long drive through the desert from Mildura to Adelaide. Essay writer Demi Conrad states, “Undoubtedly, the notion of time is posited through multiple lenses within this body of work through subtle nuances of colour, incongruous structures and abstracted forms. These elements provide a framework that reflect Payne’s ongoing exploration of the land’s essence and its relationship to time within an historical, colonial, and archaeological context.”