NorthSite Contemporary Arts

NorthSite Contemporary Arts A Contemporary Arts company situated within Bulmba-ja Arts Centre in Cairns, Far North Queensland.
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Located in the cultural hub of the central business district of Cairns, NorthSite Contemporary Arts is a key destination for local and tourist visitors alike who wish to experience the vibrant contemporary visual culture of Tropical North Queensland. Established in 1992 as an artists' collective, KickArts developed into a not for profit organisation dedicated to facilitating, presenting and promot

ing contemporary arts and extending the experience and cultural life of northern Australians and previously more than 2.2 million annual visitors to Cairns. Delivering a dynamic and diverse exhibition program of exhibitions and programs each year NorthSite (formerly KickArts) highlights the work of local, national and international artists. The NorthSite Store represents leading art, craft and design by local artists and from the surrounding art centres of Far North Queensland providing clientele with access to high quality and ethical works of art from the region.

THE PEOPLE’S CUP IS COMING TO NORTHSITE!This Tuesday, 15 September, the Lexus Melbourne Cup visits NorthSite Contemporar...
12/09/2026

THE PEOPLE’S CUP IS COMING TO NORTHSITE!

This Tuesday, 15 September, the Lexus Melbourne Cup visits NorthSite Contemporary Arts for a special community event connecting racing history, First Nations stories and Far North Queensland.

Against the backdrop of 'The Ghosts of Lani Mulgrave Blair', we trace an extraordinary journey through three moments:

1886 — Lani Mulgrave Blair is pictured at Flemington Racecourse, far from his Yidinji Country in Far North Queensland.

1973 — Cairns-born First Nations jockey Frank Reys makes history, riding Gala Supreme to victory in the Melbourne Cup.

2026 — the People’s Cup comes to NorthSite in Gimuy/Cairns, bringing these stories together.

See the Lexus Melbourne Cup up close, have your photo taken with the iconic trophy and join us for a special conversation with representatives from the exhibition, the Reys family and the Melbourne Cup.

Tuesday 15 September | 11am–2pm
NorthSite Contemporary Arts, Bulmba-ja, Cairns
Free and open to the community

From the Mulgrave → to Flemington → back to Gimuy - find out more at northsite.org.au/participate

MAKING AN IMPRESSION // Fine Art Print Production Program // NorthSite Art StudiosDuring the latest print process invest...
08/09/2026

MAKING AN IMPRESSION // Fine Art Print Production Program // NorthSite Art Studios

During the latest print process investigation at NorthSite Studios, participants gor hands-on with collagraph printmaking, exploring the creative possibilities of texture, layering and relief.

The name collagraph comes from Koll (from the Greek word for glue) and Graph (draw), meaning “glue drawing.” The process involves building up textures and materials on a printing plate, which is then inked and passed through the press to create richly textured, often beautifully unpredictable impressions.

Across seven weeks, artists Kassandra Savage, Lynelle Flinders, Tommy Pau, Glen Mackie, Joshua Nonson and Harriet Mills are exploring a different area of printmaking each week, building practical skills, expanding their creative practice and gaining experience in fine art print production.

Designed as a new professional development opportunity for First Nations artists in Gimuy/Cairns, the program supports participants to develop specialist printmaking skills while opening pathways towards sustainable creative careers.

Enjoy a glimpse behind the scenes as the team experiment with surface, texture and the possibilities of collagraph printmaking.

Layers of Connection // MEET OUR ARTISTS | Melissa WatersFor Melissa, making art sits somewhere between instinct and int...
07/09/2026

Layers of Connection // MEET OUR ARTISTS | Melissa Waters

For Melissa, making art sits somewhere between instinct and intention — a process of experimenting, layering, letting go and knowing when to stop. Based in Mareeba, her multidisciplinary practice moves across painting, sculpture, collage and mixed media, drawing on materials and textures that respond to the ideas she is exploring.

At the centre of Melissa’s practice is a deep connection to the natural world. Her recent work looks closely at the small worlds around us — fragments, textures and landscapes that speak to something much bigger. Through these observations, Melissa explores our changing environment alongside her own inner landscape, creating works that open up a conversation rather than prescribe an answer.

'Nature’s Dialogue – Shifting Views' by Melissa Waters and Georgina Hutchinson // ON NOW at NorthSite Contemporary Arts until 10 October.

Thank you to everyone who joined us this weekend to celebrate the opening of our two new exhibitions, bringing together ...
24/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us this weekend to celebrate the opening of our two new exhibitions, bringing together three artists who explore our relationship with place, culture, community and the changing world around us.

An amazing turnout for a casual afternoon featuring artist talks by Tia Adoberg, Melissa Waters and Georgina Hutchinson, and special opening words with Kristian Šantić (CRC Cairns Festival Lead).

Traces Written by Nature // SNEAK PEEK // Georgina Hutchison - 'Nature’s Dialogue – Shifting Views'In her new exhibition...
21/08/2026

Traces Written by Nature // SNEAK PEEK // Georgina Hutchison - 'Nature’s Dialogue – Shifting Views'

In her new exhibition with Melissa Waters, Georgina's featured works reflect her ‘slow’ art practice, emphasising self-expression and aesthetics rooted in her environment. ‘Scorched Escarpment – Nature’s Fire Diary’ uses torn paper fragments to depict the fragile resilience of Australian bush, symbolising seasonal fire cycles and climate change impacts. Fire offers both regeneration and destruction, with hypnotic flames symbolising change and end cycles.

This process embodies listening, responding to, and respecting fire’s dual role. Her art reflects the profound, often chaotic dialogue between nature’s forces and human perception.

Join us at NorthSite Contemporary Arts TOMORROW Saturday 22 August to celebrate the opening of our two new exhibitions, bringing together three artists who explore our relationship with place, culture, community and the changing world around us.

For more information and to RSVP, visit northsite.org.au/participate

INK IN ACTION // Fine Art Print Production Program // NorthSite Art StudiosThis week at NorthSite Art Studios, participa...
21/08/2026

INK IN ACTION // Fine Art Print Production Program // NorthSite Art Studios

This week at NorthSite Art Studios, participants in our new Fine Art Print Production Program are getting hands-on with screenprinting, guided by artist and printmaker Sam Tupou.

Across seven weeks, artists Kassandra Savage, Lynelle Flinders, Tommy Pau, Glen Mackie and Harriet Mills will explore a different area of printmaking each week, building practical skills, expanding their creative practice and gaining experience in fine art print production.

Designed as a new professional development opportunity for First Nations artists in Gimuy/Cairns, the program supports participants to develop specialist printmaking skills while opening pathways towards sustainable creative careers.

Here’s a glimpse inside the studio as this week’s screenprints start to take shape!

Nature’s Living Language // SNEAK PEEK // Melissa Waters - 'Nature’s Dialogue – Shifting Views'Install week continues wi...
19/08/2026

Nature’s Living Language // SNEAK PEEK // Melissa Waters - 'Nature’s Dialogue – Shifting Views'

Install week continues with Melissa Waters' array of pieces for her upcoming exhibition with Georgina Hutchinson. Their exhibition explores the Australian landscape as a living archive, where fragments, textures, scars and patterns created by natural events become a kind of visual language. Through aerial perspectives, the artists examine the marks left by bushfires, floods, growth and decay, inviting us to consider how nature records memory and communicates through the land.

"Play is an important part in the use of materials and production of my art and I find the materials I use are generally whatever I feel responds to the concepts I’m trying to convey. I might use brushes, twigs, earth and any other media to create layers and textures because it is during experimenting that interesting effects often emerge." - Melissa Waters

Join us at NorthSite Contemporary Arts THIS Saturday to celebrate the opening of our two new exhibitions, bringing together three artists who explore our relationship with place, culture, community and the changing world around us.

For more information and to RSVP, visit northsite.org.au/participate

Step into an extraordinary story of survival and return. 'The Ghosts of Lani Mulgrave Blair' follows the story and endur...
19/08/2026

Step into an extraordinary story of survival and return.

'The Ghosts of Lani Mulgrave Blair' follows the story and enduring legacy of Lani Mulgrave Blair (1883–1900), a Yidinji boy taken from the Mulgrave River amid a period of violent frontier conflict and massacres. He was subsequently transported to Melbourne, where Dr and Mrs Blair raised him within colonial society.

Through historical materials, intergenerational oral histories, and new works by Yidinji artist Paul B**g alongside other artists, this important exhibition brings Lani’s story back to Yidinji Country and into the national consciousness.

Don't miss 'The Ghosts of Lani Mulgrave Blair' ON NOW until 19 September.

Pictured: 1. Carl Kahler, 'The Derby Day at Flemington' (detail), 1886, oil on canvas, glass and wooden gilded frame, 1950 x 2910 mm, on loan courtesy of Victoria Racing Club Collection // 2. Historical images, 'Lani' and 'Lani and Mrs Blair', source unknown.

Address

Bulmba-ja Arts Centre, 96 Abbott Street
Cairns, QLD
4870

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 2pm

Telephone

+61740509494

Website

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