Exhibition: 22.96 / receding

A multi-faceted exhibition by three Gympie artists – Miriam Innes, Joolie Gibbs and Leeroy Todd – ‘22:96 / receding’ commemorated the anniversary of the February 2022 flooding events that took place in the Gympie region.

Held at Gympie Regional Gallery, this exhibition captured the significance of the experience and the impacts on local residents, businesses and the environment.

With a series of public programs, ’22.96 / receding’ invited the broader community to participate in activities, explore artistic techniques and contribute to the sharing of stories and experiences in creative and meaningful ways. The works created by the community were collated in a digital presentation as part of the exhibition and shared through libraries across the region.

The artists’ aimed to create a positive experience for the community, with impressions to provoke and affirm reflections of the Mary River and a sense of belonging to place. The theme of creative recovery continues to form a foundation for building sustainable community resilience and facilitate community healing and recovery. The legacy of this exhibition also serves to document this important event in our region’s history and to highlight our community spirit and collective resilience in the face of natural disasters.

As part of the exhibition, projection artwork by James Muller covered the front façade of the Gallery building.

Image credit: artists observe (detail), Leeroy Todd, 2022

This project was made possible by the Australian Government's Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia. The Regional Arts Fund is administered by Flying Arts Alliance Inc. in Queensland. Special thanks to the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee, Creative Arts Gympie Region, Artivive and Undersea Productions.