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Wednesday 11am - 4pm Thursday 11am - 4pm Friday 11am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 2pm

http://www.darwincommunityarts.org.au/

untitled gallery+studio, 3/1 Caryota Court Coconut Grove, Darwin (2026)

27/05/2026

📯 JUNE EXHIBITION ANNOUNCEMENT 📯

Creations of the Creek - Youth Art Exhibition

Showcasing works created through Creek Connections Landcare NT youth workshops.

OPENING NIGHT: Friday 12th June 2026, 5.30pm onwards
Exhibition Dates: Friday 12th - Saturday 27th June 2026
Gallery hours: Wed-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-2pm *extended hours for June

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This special exhibition celebrates our urban creeks through the eyes of young people. Featuring gel prints, natural sculptures, and mixed-media works, the collection showcases art inspired by the patterns, textures, wildlife, and stories of the waterways that weave through our city.

The artworks have been created by local young people through the Creek Connections public art program, led by local artists, as well as through focused workshops delivered in partnership with schools and community organisations. Together, these works reflect curiosity, creativity, and a growing connection between young people and the natural environments around them.

We warmly invite community members of all ages to come along, celebrate local youth creativity, and reconnect with the creeks that sustain and shape our place.
In addition, some activities will be offering opportunities for families and community members to explore the creeks, experiment with creative techniques, and deepen their understanding of our shared urban landscapes during the exhibition — we’d love to see you there.

21/05/2026

🔥 Final day to catch MOTHERLOAD 🔥
Thursday 21 May, 10am-4pm.

We wanted to take the time to congratulate all the artists involved in the exhibition but also to celebrate the work Sam Galletly and Sarah Martin did in not only exhibiting in this show but curating and bringing this project to life!

The work has connected with so many in its duration in the gallery, prompting great conversations and sharing from audiences.

Congratulations:

+ Francesca Allen
+ Bridget Edmunds
+ Sam Galletly
+ Sarah Martin
+ Jess Ong
+ Helen Orr
+ Lucy Periton
+ Susannah Ritchie
+ Amy Russell
+ Clare Thackway
+ Ciella Williams
+ Natalie Wright

📸 Eagle Scenes - Darwin Photographer

20/05/2026

⭐ ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ⭐
Sam Galletly (b. 1984)

Likes: Hot cups of tea, clean sheets, running in the dawn to the sounds of the birds, sleepy wake up cuddles, the sound of my kids giggiling in their sleep, rainy nights, food I have not cooked, getting in a flow state, hunting for fairies, baths in the garden
Dislikes: Overdue library books, intrusive thoughts, being climbed on like a playground, the feeling of a divided heart

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'Grappling' (2026)
Mayco grapel glaze on mod fire Porcelain

While making these wonky little pieces I began to see a strong parallel between motherhood and making a ceramic vessel. To set the scene I was trying to learn to use a new material (porcelain, as soft as butter left out of the fridge) while the wheel was going full speed, me standing on a esky elevated above the chaos, just out of reach of small hands and my needy dog. Clay does not become form in a single gesture, it is centred, opened, pulled, and refined over time. Motherhood, too, is not one defining moment but an ongoing process of nurturing and shaping. Both demand a balance between control and release, too much pressure causes collapse, and too little creates a shapeless form. Each requires sensitivity, structure, and support, while allowing space for independence, responding to constant change, adjusting to wobbles, setbacks, and unexpected shifts. Clay can fail and be remade; parenting is filled with learning curves (that at time feel like failings). Neither is about perfection, but about persistence and care. Ultimately, each creation becomes independent, a vessel standing on its own, a child becoming their own person. If you look close on the larger of the imperfect vessels you will note a repetition of the word “MUM,” echoing its constant call (an average of 200 times daily per child). The purple glaze colour is aptly named ‘Grapel’.

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Artist statements for the following artworks 'Portobello Pan' 'The search for the perfect banana' and 'Words' are in the comments and image descriptions.

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Exhibition runs: 1 May - 21 May
Gallery opening days: Wed - Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-12pm
Curated by Sam Galletly and Sarah Martin
📸 byEagle Scenes - Darwin Photographer

19/05/2026

Ciella Williams (b. 1990)

'The Big Book of MUM* Guilt' (2025)
Paper, paint, confessions

The Big Book of MUM* Guilt is an opportunity to unburden yourself, to gift your guilt to other parents in the thick of it, or to read the confessions of others and not feel so alone. These confessions become part of a larger project—MUM* Guilt Confessional—that seeks to absolve parents of their guilt and provide an evolving ritual of solidarity.
*Main Unpaid Minder

'Bloody Hard Work' (2026)
Acrylic on board

I could say so much about the highs and horrors or breastfeeding. Everyone’s story around breast/chestfeeding will be big. Ask them. In the meantime, here are some facts: Breastmilk is made from your blood. Breastfeeding requires roughly 1800 hours a year, equivalent to a full-time job. The worldwide average age to stop breastfeeding is between 2-4 years. 95% or Australian breastfeeding people report difficulties breastfeeding.

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Exhibition runs: 1 May - 21 May
Gallery opening days: Wed - Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-12pm
Curated by Sam Galletly and Sarah Martin
📸 by Eagle Scenes - Darwin Photographer

17/05/2026

⭐ ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ⭐

Bridget Edmunds (b. 1985)
Likes: Finding missing water bottles and shoes
Dislikes: Reading parenting books

'Before' (2025)
Watercolour on paper

Before the Motherload, my feathers sat in perfect aerodynamic harmony. Preening was a hobby, not crisis management for unidentified stickiness. Also, I dressed for style, not for pelvic floor confidence. Life was all showroom-ready brilliance: b***s in (and up) and ready to fly. I was definitely going to be the perfect mumma-bird to my chicks and did I tell you I have the next 1,492 meals prepped and ready to go!!!?

'After' (2025)
Watercolour on paper

Since entering the Motherload, we launch daily without a plan and often only one shoe. Nights are no longer for sleeping. The moment you begin to drift, a rogue thought swoops in, lands heavily and refuses to f-off... ““Did I even get my pen license?!”

I’m fully nocturnal now, perched at all hours, offering guidance no one asked for. I am the Weary Owl who makes their kids raw sausage smoothies for breakfast. See me for the recipe.

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Exhibition runs: 1 May - 21 May
Gallery opening days: Wed - Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-12pm
Curated by Sam Galletly and Sarah Martin
📸 by Eagle Scenes - Darwin Photographer

15/05/2026

⭐ ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ⭐

Sarah Martin (b. 1982)
'A Matter of Life and Death' (2026)
Coloured pencil and ink on paper

A Matter of Life and Death is a large-scale black and white pencil and ink drawing that maps the emotional, physical, and psychological terrain of motherhood onto the outline of my own body. Rendered like a crime scene, the figure lies “evidence” of a life that often feels ransacked—by toys, questions, responsibilities, and love.

The body is filled and surrounded by fragments of lived experience: my children’s strange and brilliant questions (“Mum, are you 85,000 years old?”), imagined battles between prehistoric creatures and sharks, and recreated drawings from their own hands. These moments sit alongside visual metaphors— a butterfly labelled “winging it,” because most days I am; a clown juggling endlessly, because solo parenting often feels like a circus with no intermission.

The figure itself has six eyes, a small exaggeration of the hyper-awareness required to keep small humans alive. To mother is to be always watching, always anticipating, always split between multiple needs at once. It is both absurd and deeply serious work.

The title reflects the weight that underpins even the most mundane decisions. Feeding, routines, schooling, screen time—each choice can feel loaded with consequence. Beneath the humour is a persistent anxiety: am I getting this right, or quietly ruining everything? This work holds that tension between chaos and care, between laughter and fear. It acknowledges the mess—literal and emotional—while also recognising the tenderness threaded through it. Motherhood here is not idealised; it is sprawling, contradictory, exhausting, and funny. Ultimately, A Matter of Life and Death is both a confession and a reassurance: that to feel overwhelmed, to question yourself constantly, and to keep going anyway, is part of the work.

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Exhibition runs: 1 May - 21 May
Gallery opening days: Wed - Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-12pm
Curated by Sam Galletly and Sarah Martin
📸 by Eagle Scenes - Darwin Photographer

15/05/2026

⭐ ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ⭐

Natalie Wright (b. 1984)

Likes: Kids telling us it as it is for them in the world, nature, the underwater world, having a group of strong women and mother friends to do life with
Dislikes: Loud noises, fabric in the mouth

'Snatching a moment' (2026)
Kids’ watercolor pencils, reused diary paper, Crayola paintbrush

I travel with a small set of watercolor paints, a pencil and some old note paper. A good friend taught me. We drew flowers together with our kids in the botanical gardens, then played amongst the hanging plants. Nothing was complex.
Now when I travel with my family it’s easy to stash a small art pencil case amongst the many things we cart. Drawing and painting is something I can share with my kids. I also use art to have time away from planning, packing, sorting, and the heavy lifting of parenting.

I sn**ch time to appreciate the asymmetry of life, the color, the slowing of time, focus on what I am doing, not others, and abandoning the need to oversee the kid’s activities.

For a moment, for a sketch and a paint moment, I opt out of the motherload, the mental load, being the soother, the negotiator, the explainer and co-regulator. I redirect the need for ‘parent petrol’ or ‘parent attention’ elsewhere, even if just for a moment.

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Exhibition runs: 1 May - 21 May
Gallery opening days: Wed - Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-12pm
Curated by Sam Galletly and Sarah Martin
📸 by Eagle Scenes - Darwin Photographer

14/05/2026

⭐ARTIST SPOTLIGHT⭐
Jess Ong (b. 1984)

Likes: Swimming, silence, earl grey tea (no milk) and many versions of toast, a wild night rampaging with friends, reading, dinner parties, listening, cuddles with my tiny bosses, existential conversations, witty commentary.

Dislikes: Milk, cold prawns, Peppa pig, kids’ books written by influencers and celebrities, mozzies, jerks, mould.

'when you have many loves, who do you choose to
wake up with?' (2026)
Audio compilation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x1obQElHTj3eBD57D9ylQqP1RjSNmpxw/view

tiny bosses: mama, who’s putting us down tonight?
me: i am, like i do every night!
tiny bosses: oh yeah cos you’re not with us when we wake up, you talk on the ABC radio.
my alarm goes off at 3.41am five days a week because i wake up with Darwin on breakfast radio, and not with my young children. most days i’m comfortable with this decision, but there are agonising moments when i remember what i’m missing: delicious croaky morning voices, stretchy limbs and fresh eyes for a new day, tangles and twists of bed hair...
am i letting my girls down with my absence, or building them up because they can see what’s possible for women who also happen to be mothers?

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Exhibition runs: 1 May - 21 May
Gallery opening days: Wed - Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-12pm
Curated by Sam Galletly and Sarah Martin
📸 by Eagle Scenes - Darwin Photographer

14/05/2026

⭐ ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ⭐

Francesca Allen (b. 1985)
Likes: Campfires, road trips, op-shopping, Simon and Garfunkel, Thai food, critters, board games, gelato
Dislikes: Closed minds

'Letting go' (2026)
Felt and embroidery yarn on jeans

I kept this pair of size 8 jeans in my wardrobe for years—not because I loved them, but because they represented a promise to myself: one day, when life slows down, when I have more discipline, more time, more energy, I will fit into these again.
As a mother, I have come to understand how many versions of ourselves we are asked to grieve quietly. The body we once knew. The freedom we once had. The illusion that with enough effort we can hold everything together and return to who we were before. We are told to “bounce back,” to stay desirable, capable, patient, grateful, organised and selfless—all at once.

I transformed these jeans into something abandoned and reclaimed by nature. They have become a relic of an old story: the belief that my worth lived inside a smaller body, or in a previous version of myself.

Motherhood is a constant practice of letting go. We let go of expectations, of control, of the opinions of others. We let go of each fleeting version of our children as they grow and become someone new. We let go again and again, often with love, frustration and grief intertwined.
This work is not about defeat. It is about release. About making peace with what no longer fits or serves us—in the wardrobe, in the body, in the mind. And trusting that what grows in its place may be wilder, softer, truer, and alive.

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Exhibition runs: 1 May - 21 May
Gallery opening days: Wed - Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-12pm
Curated by Sam Galletly and Sarah Martin
📸 by Eagle Scenes - Darwin Photographer

14/05/2026

⭐ ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ⭐
Susannah Ritchie (b. 1985)

'Washing Line' (2026)
Mixed-media installation using a wooden frame, wire, and suspended Polaroid photographs.

This piece is inspired by the memories and dresses of my darling mother, who passed away from Motor Neurone Disease almost a decade ago. For me, washing and my mother are inseparable. She washed almost every day, moving through the quiet rhythm of sorting, washing, hanging, drying, and folding. There was something deeply soothing in it - a kind of domestic ballet that gathered the loose edges of life and brought them back into order, again and again. My mum died when my firstborn son was five months old. He arrived two months premature, which in hindsight, gave us a few extra precious months together. At the time, it felt like a double blow I could barely withstand. My mum was already dying when he was born - we just didn’t yet know why - but we all knew she was very sick. Still, she was the one who washed his tiny suits (size 00000) for the Special Care Nursery. I remember her hanging them on the line in the sun, the small, empty feet lifting and dancing in the wind. There is a quiet kind of grace in freshly washed clothes - something clean, something held, something returned. My mother both loved and resented the physical and emotional labour woven through the ritual of washing. As I get older - and as a mother of four sons - I have come to understand it as a space between intimacy and drudgery. It is an act of care, and an act of service. I, too, wash most days. Yet I will never again have my mum put on a load of washing for me, or hang one of my dresses out to dry in the breeze. This work is part love letter to those countless loads of washing, and part reflection on the dresses and memories we carry - what we wrap around ourselves, what we hold onto, what we let go. In the end, I have interwoven my own words and photographs with my mum’s writing, because there is nothing that would have delighted her more than having the last word.

In memory of my darling mum, Mickey Dewar
01/01/1956 – 23/04/2017

untitled gallery+studio

27/05/2026

21/05/2026

20/05/2026

19/05/2026

17/05/2026

15/05/2026

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14/05/2026

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Wednesday	11am - 4pm
Thursday	11am - 4pm
Friday	11am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 2pm