Homecoming exhibition for local artist Colin Reaney

Published on 05 March 2026

Three powerful new exhibitions exploring themes of nature, environment and personal stories open at the Hervey Bay Regional Gallery this Friday, including a solo exhibition by local artist and educator, Colin Reaney.

Fraser Coast Regional Council Arts and Culture spokesperson Cr Michelle Govers said the exhibitions will launch this Friday night (6 March) from 5:30pm – 7:30pm, featuring local artist Colin Reaney and Queensland artist Anastasia Klose and Rachel O’Reilly.

“Reaney’s exhibition, Objects in a Situation, explores global and personal concerns while examining ideas of belonging in an interconnected world through drawing, sculpture and spatial installation,” she said.

“Colin is an experienced artist and educator who returned to his hometown of Hervey Bay after decades teaching visual art at universities overseas, most recently in the United Arab Emirates and Singapore. This marks his first exhibition in the region since returning in 2017.

“The large-scale exhibition includes a temporary public artwork installed in City Park with line marking paint.

“We are proud to support local artists like Colin, whose work enriches our cultural life and reflects the stories and experiences of our community.

Cr Govers said Objects in a Situation launches alongside the work of two other Queensland artists, Mossman-based Anastasia Klose and Brisbane-based artist, writer and director, Rachel O’Reilly.

“Anastasia Klose: World without Endexplores intertwined ideas of ecological extinction, human mortality, and the resilience of life beyond loss, she said.

“Far North Queensland artist Anastasia Klose draws on her involvement in environmental activism, alongside deeply personal works responding to the life and recent death of a close friend.

“Also exploring themes of environmental conservation and activism, Rachel O’Reily:  Northern Waters is a feature-length film and installation exploring the lasting impacts of the 1967–75 Save the Reef campaign.”

Cr Govers said the work brings together Indigenous and settler perspectives on the complex struggles between industry, labour, tourism and environmental protection, showing how this history continues to shape the present.

“Together, the exhibitions offer a thought-provoking look at loss, resilience and what it means to belong in a changing world,” she said.

All three exhibitions will launch this Friday night (6 March) from 5:30pm – 7:30pm, with a live performance by the Bayside Harmony Choir and will remain on display until 17 May, 2026.

For more information, visit: www.ourfrasercoast.com.au/Hervey-Bay-Regional-Gallery

Image (from left to right): HBRG Director Sarah Thomson, local artist Colin Reaney, and Queensland artist Anastasia Klose.