CONTEMPORARY canvas works and ancient cultural traditions are coming together in a powerful new exhibition celebrating the strength and continuity of Quandamooka culture.
Create Exchange: Painted Up by Quandamooka artist Dean Biŋkin Tyson is now on display across two venues at Redland Art Gallery until June 9, marking the final instalment of Redland City Council’s three-year Create Exchange Program.
Redland City Mayor Jos Mitchell said the exhibition represented a significant milestone for the program, which has supported artist residencies and community engagement through philanthropic backing.
“Create Exchange has supported artists to share their stories and connect with our community over the past three years,” the Mayor said.
“We are proud to present this final exhibition by Dean Biŋkin Tyson, whose work reflects the strength, resilience and continuity of Quandamooka culture.”
A Quandamooka artist of Ngugi and Goenpel descent, Mr Tyson’s work invites audiences onto his ancestral homelands, offering an intimate insight into his cultural inheritance as a traditional owner and Goori artist.
The exhibition combines his individual practice with collaborations involving family and community, grounded in honour, reciprocity and deep cultural responsibility.
It reflects the interconnected cultures of the Ngugi, Goenpel and Noonuccal peoples – collectively known as the Quandamooka people – whose homelands span the islands and mainland coastline of Redlands Coast and Moreton Bay.
The Mayor said the exhibition offered a meaningful opportunity for the community to engage with living cultural knowledge.
“This exhibition is a powerful reminder of the importance of listening to and respecting the stories and traditions of Quandamooka people,” she said.
Mr Tyson’s multidisciplinary practice spans painting, dance, song and didgeridoo, with each element inseparable from his cultural identity and connection to Country. His works incorporate ochre and natural pigments alongside contemporary forms, reflecting the continuation of cultural practices maintained for tens of thousands of years.
Mr Tyson said the act of being ‘painted up’ carried deep cultural significance.
“For me, painting with ochre or being painted up is a privilege,” he said.
“‘Painting up’ is the embodiment of our culture.”
Painted Up is the final instalment of the Create Exchange program, which has delivered a series of artist residencies, exhibitions and activations over the past three years.
The exhibition is on display at Redland Art Gallery until June 9, with a special preview week from April 7 to 10 featuring the artist painting live in the gallery.
Additional works are also on display at Redland Performing Arts Centre until May 29.
The exhibition is supported by Haymans Electrical and Data Suppliers, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Redland Art Gallery and Redland City Council.
Previous Create Exchange exhibitions have featured Quandamooka artists Sonja Carmichael and Elisa Jane Carmichael in 2024, and Delvene Cockatoo-Collins in 2025.
