The Shape of Time: Queensland’s First Nations Craft Community Takes Centre Stage at Artisan

NAIDOC week – 6-13 July 2025 – is an opportune time to spotlight Queensland’s most compelling exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contemporary craft at artisan’s galleries in Meanjin/Brisbane.

Running until 19 July, The Shape of Time presents a rare opportunity to experience works from five leading Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Centres, alongside wearable pieces by independent makers that merge traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design.

The landmark exhibition transforms artisan’s Main Gallery into a celebration of time made tangible through making—featuring vessels, weavings, textures, sculptures and patterns that speak to generations of knowledge and cultural continuity.

“This exhibition is a powerful reflection on time—not just as something we measure, but as something we live, something we carry, and something that’s deeply embedded in Country, culture, and community,” says creative collaborator Delvene Cockatoo-Collins.

“You’ll see that in the works here, the way stories are passed through generations, how memory and place are held in form, texture, and colour.”

A striking wall of Bagu from Girringun Art Centre—with artworks made from clay, timber and string to evoke the spirit of the old people—stands alongside Hope Vale Arts & Cultural Centre’s vibrant BIRRANGAY BULILIL (leaves falling) Autumn 2025 textile collection. The exhibition also features ghost net woven sculptures from Pormpuraaw Art and Culture Centre, handcrafted ceramics from Yalanji Arts, and weavings from Moa Arts, including award-winning reimagined traditional bags by Paula Savage, winner of the 2023 Melbourne Design Week Award (pictured above). Adding another sensory element to the exhibits, Saychem Owens was commissioned to create an evocative soundscape based on the Minjerribah/ North Stradbroke Island, the Quandamooka home of his mother Delvene Cockatoo-Collins.

The Small Object Space features wearable pieces by independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jewellers, artist/makers including Dr Andrew T Gall, Bruce Borey, Desert-Rain Magpie, Melissa Stannard, and Rachel Bywaters, who work with materials ranging from emu feathers and native timbers to metals and clay.

“At the heart of all this are the Aboriginal Art Centres—places of cultural strength, artistic excellence, and community leadership. They’re not just studios or workplaces—they’re living, breathing hubs of cultural continuity,” says artisan CEO Carmel Haugh.

“The Shape of Time reminds us that art is never just about the now. It’s about deep time, shared time, and future time. And it’s a reminder of how essential these Art Centres are—not just for art, but for the strength and self-determination of Indigenous communities”

NAIDOC Week 2025 marks a powerful milestone: celebrating 50 years of honouring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture and resilience. The Shape of Time perfectly aligns with this year’s theme of The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy by providing a platform for the cultural legacy and continuity. All displayed items are available for purchase and proceeds directly supporting the participating artists and art centres.

Exhibition Details:

• Title: The Shape of Time
• Where: artisan Main Gallery & Small Object Space, Meanjin/Brisbane, on the traditional lands of the Turrbal and Yuggera people.
• When: on now until 19 July 2025
• Creative Collaborator: Delvene Cockatoo-Collins
• Featured Art Centres: Girringun Art Centre (Cardwell), Hope Vale Arts & Cultural Centre (Cape York), Moa Arts (Torres Strait), Pormpuraaw Art and Culture Centre (Western Cape York), Yalanji Arts (Mossman Gorge)
• Website:
• Supported by: artisan receives assistance from the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland: through the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments; Creative Australia, through the Australian Cultural Fund; and The Tim Fairfax Family Foundation.
• Allied exhibition: inaugural CAIA Collective Showcase at the Machinery St outdoor gallery. More details.

More information: artisan.org.au/blogs/current-exhibitions/the-shape-of-time