Exhibition Opening | Girra: Fraser Coast National Art Prize & Strange Kinship
Celebrate the official launch of two new exhibitions and the announcement of the Girra 2025 prize winner.
Join us for the official opening and prize announcement of the 2025 edition of Girra: Fraser Coast National Art Prize. This biennial prize, an initiative of Fraser Coast Regional Council and Hervey Bay Regional Gallery, examines the intersection of people, place and the environment through the work of 16 contemporary artists from across the country.
The winner of the $25,000 major acquisitive prize will be announced by guest judges Judy Watson and Michelle Newton with HBRG Director Sarah Thomson.
Launching alongside Girra is Strange Kinship, a group exhibition that brings together international and Australian artists to examine human perceptions of the non-human world. Drawing on our region’s reputation as a whale watching capital, Strange Kinship explores our desire to understand and connect animals and unpicks the layers of mythology, symbolism and cultural meaning we bring to these interactions.
Join the artists and judges in celebrating the official opening and prize announcement with speeches at 3:30pm, followed by a performance by Strange Kinship artists Dolphin Milk, and celebratory sunset drinks and music until 5pm.
ABOUT THE EXHIBITIONS
Girra: Fraser Coast National Art Prize 2025
The biennial art prize invites entries from artists working in any visual art medium from across Australia, offering a $25,000 major acquisitive prize.
The finalists’ exhibition, held at the Hervey Bay Regional Gallery, will form a compelling story of our nation’s relationship to the environment told through diverse perspectives and aesthetic approaches.
The 2025 prize finalists are: Lino Ah-Honi (QLD), Ariella Anderson (QLD), Amanda Bennetts (QLD), Jacqueline Bradley (ACT), Johnathon World Peace Bush (NT), Shoufay Derz (NSW), Christophe Domergue (NSW), Claire Ellis (VIC), Baylee Griffin (QLD), Georgia Hayward (QLD), Joseph Williams Jungararyi (NT), Ingvar Kenne (NSW), Anna May Kirk (NSW), Aaron Perkins (VIC), Brian Robinson (QLD) and Paul Snell (TAS).
Strange Kinship
Strange Kinship explores our complicated relationships with animals, unpicking the identification and disidentification we feel towards certain species.
Taking its departure point from our region’s fascination with whales—laden with symbolism and meaning—this exhibition examines human perspectives on the non-human world.
Including work by Australian and international artists Allora & Calzadilla (in collaboration with Ted Chiang), Dolphin Milk, Fernando do Campo, Dr. Jodi Edwards, Gabriella Hirst, Nicholas Mangan, Trent Mitchell, Deb Mostert, and The Dolphin Embassy Archives (curated by the New Landscapes Institute).
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Image: Alistair Brightman