Pacific Storms

30 Pacific artists

Pacific Storms Exhibition will be shown in Waterfront Place, 1 Eagle St from December 14 - Jan 2. The official opening is on December 16, 6:30pm.

The exhibition will be opened by Rugby League Legend Mal Meninga, linking his South Sea heritage and youth development in sports to the Pacific Storms programme. Pacific Storms Brisbane will feature a selection of art from ten Pacific countries and over 30 Pacific artists. In the actual project, Pacific Storms has 36 artists and 60 works of art.

This is the first time ever that such an exhibition attracted a large number of contemporary artists from the Pacific to Australia. It was fantastic to have 27 artists attend the Bundaberg Opening, thanks to Pacific Art Alliance. Pacific Storms is an idea developed after the PIMA Oceanic Art Symposium and was supported largely by Pacific Art Alliance members. The name "Pacific Storms" was chosen to represent contemporary Pacific challenges in the region and create awareness for Australian audiences of what is happening in the Pacific. The exhibition also links Diaspora Pacific artists with artists in the islands. Our initial opening with Bundaberg Regional Gallery was to re-visit history and recognise the contributions of the first Pacific Islanders who worked in the labour trade in 1860s. Mal Meninga is one product of that history.

The exhibition was opened by Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Affairs, Hon Duncan Kerr in Bundaberg in June to a crowd of 425 people and was visited by over 3000 people in six weeks of showing. Its extended programme included numerous educational programmes for the school children and the Bundaberg community. It was widely covered in the general media and art magazines. Due to huge public demand, Pacific Storms will show in Brisbane city, followed by National Museum of Australia in Canberra. We also have interests from other states in Australia, Papua New Guinea and other Pacific countries but funding is an issue so a new show is planned for 2011.


The Brisbane show is aimed at corporate audience and targeting 5000-6000 people that have access and do business within this area.

If anyone is in Brisbane in Dec 14-Jan 2, please come and see the exhibition. It is a commercial building and access is only weekdays from 8am-6pm.