The work of Quandamooka artist and designer Delvene Cockatoo-Collins will be celebrated in an exciting new survey exhibition at Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland, this month.
Set to open on September 7, the new exhibition, Create Exchange: Wearing Country, highlights Cockatoo-Collins' commitment to transforming stories and traditions from her mother, Evelyn Parkin, and grandmother, Bethel Delaney, into unique garments that reveal the natural beauty of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island).
Redland City Council mayor Jos Mitchell said the exhibition reflected Redlands Coast's deep connection to its Aboriginal heritage and the vibrant creativity of local artists.
"Redland City Council is proud to host Create Exchange: Wearing Country at Redland Art Gallery," she said.
"This exhibition not only honours Delvene's remarkable artistry but also celebrates the living culture of the Quandamooka People. Through her work, Delvene brings Country into our gallery spaces, inviting us all to experience Minjerribah's stories, landscapes and traditions in new and meaningful ways."
Featuring garments, jewellery, printmaking and design commissions, the exhibition demonstrates Cockatoo-Collins' unique ability to fuse culture, sustainability and contemporary fashion.
Describing the beach at Goompi/Dunwich as a natural art store, Cockatoo-Collins gathers ochre, clay and seeds along the shoreline.
Some of the shells she uses are collected and cleaned after being shared in family meals, and a nearby cotton tree is harvested and used for weaving. These natural resources are then woven into her garments and jewellery.
Through printmaking, she captures the reflections of light on the mangroves and the sunsets shimmering on the water. The diverse mediums and techniques employed by Cockatoo-Collins culminate into stunning wearable art garments.
Indigenous art curator and consultant Shonae Hobson said Cockatoo-Collins worked outside the frameworks of mainstream fast fashion.
"Her practice is not centred on seasons or mass production but in relation to the natural environment and her surroundings," she said.
"Sustainability is not a buzzword, but her way of life, living on and off the land. Through her continued commitment to sharing the stories of her ancestors through her art and fashion, she recentres fashion not as a commodity but as a living practice – one that challenges conventional production systems."
Visitors to Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland, can explore a collection of garments that have been showcased on runways in Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns and Darwin, while also learning more about the artist's creative process.
Nearby at Redland Art Gallery, The Mezz at Redland Performing Arts Centre (RPAC), Create Exchange: Wearing Country will feature Cockatoo-Collins' high-profile design commissions, including the Brisbane Broncos Indigenous jerseys, and theatre costumes.
Create Exchange: Wearing Country is presented as part of the three-year Create Exchange project of artist-led exhibitions and activations, supported by Haymans Electrical, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Redland Art Gallery and Redland City Council.
A special opening event will be held on Sunday the 7th of September, at 10am. You can also listen to Delvene Cockatoo-Collins, Troy Casey (Magpie Goose) and Aunty Sandra King (Sandra King Management) as they discuss the Queensland First Nations fashion industry and wearable art in a special panel talk on Sunday the 21st September at 10am.
The exhibition runs from the 7th of September to the 18th of November 2025 at Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland, and from the 7th of September to 9th of November 2025 at The Mezz, RPAC.
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