An exhibition inspired by the Maranoa River, its tributaries, and the stories of Country they connect
Exhibition
Date: 3 July – 15 August 2026
Opening: 3 July
Time: From 5:30pm
Venue:
Roma on Bungil Gallery
38–44 Hawthorne Street, Roma, Queensland
Terra-Rara: Rare Earth
The Yimbaya Maranoa Arts Collective brings together artists who find common ground through creating on Country. In Terra-Rara: Rare Earth, that common ground is the Maranoa River, its tributaries and the waters that flow beneath the surface. Through diverse contemporary art practices, the exhibition explores the relationships between people, plants, waterways and Country, celebrating the unique cultural and ecological stories of the Maranoa.
About the Yimbaya Maranoa Arts Collective
Yimbaya Maranoa is a First Nations-led project that grew from conversations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Maranoa residents and artists in 2018. The project has since evolved into the Yimbaya Maranoa Arts Collective, formerly known as the Remapping Mitchell Arts Collective.
The collective continues through the leadership and knowledge of Gunggari Traditional Custodians Vernessa Fien, Vicki Saunders, Saraeva Mitchell and Aunty Lynette Nixon, in collaboration with artist Jude Taggart Roberts. Gathering on Country is central to its practice, creating opportunities to learn, make art and build respectful relationships through shared creative experiences.
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- During the exhibition’s opening weekend, collective members will also present workshops and activities including photography, drawing, painting, cultural practices and meditative walks, inviting visitors to experience Country through creative practice.
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My Contribution
For Terra-Rara: Rare Earth I am exhibiting biochrome works, toned cyanotypes and illuminated biochrome sculptures inspired by the plants and stories of Gunggari Country. Created over several years through my involvement with the Yimbaya Maranoa Arts Collective, these works reflect my ongoing exploration of plants, place and the connections between art, science and nature.
- Biochrome *
- Cyanotypes*
- Illuminants*
*see sections below
All works, and many by members of the Collective, are available for purchase at Roma on Bungil Gallery during the exhibition.
Biochrome
Box Tree honours the knowledge generously shared by Gunggari Traditional Custodians, beginning with Saraeva Mitchell during a 2017 arts camp and continuing through traditional Box Tree hat weaving with other Gunggari mentors during the 2024 arts camp. Created through the biochrome process, where organic matter interacts with photographic materials over an extended period, the work becomes a collaboration between plant, place and photographic materials, carrying traces of time and transformation.
Box Tree, Biochrome, 62.5 x 44cm, Ed/3, Archival pigment print on paper, 2026, by Renata Buziak
Cyanotypes
Field Notes and The Weight in Between were created during a Yimbaya arts camp on a grazing property on Gunggari Country. Using box tree leaves, grasses and rusted farm remnants collected on site, the works were bleached and toned to create layered surfaces that hold traces of history, labour, weathering and memory. The contrast between heavy chains and delicate plant forms invites reflection on the stories embedded within landscape and time.
Field Notes and The Weight Between, Toned Cyanotypes on Cotton, each 200 x 50cm, Unique.
My illuminated biochrome sculptures Hopbush and Vine Tree feature healing plants of Gunggari Country. Developed through consultation with Traditional Custodians and previously exhibited by the Yimbaya Collective in Mitchell and Injune, these works bring botanical stories into light, inviting reflection on the living relationships between people, plants and Country.
Hopbush and Vine Tree, Unique Velevet Illuminants, Biochrome prints on velvet, repurposed ironbark base. Shade 18cm diameter, shade and base hight 52cm.
More images in Portfolio: Works from the Maranoa on Gunggari Country