Naomi McKenzie | Elements of Surprise

Naomi McKenzie, A Riparian Portrait (detail), 2025. Watergrams & Twine, 89 x 51 x 2. Image courtesy of the artist.
8 Jan 2026 — 18 Jan 2026

Naomi McKenzie, A Riparian Portrait (detail), 2025. Watergrams & Twine, 89 x 51 x 2. Image courtesy of the artist.
| Dates | Thursday 08 January to Sunday 18 January |
|---|---|
| Times | 10:00am — 3:00pm |
| Cost | Free |
| Booking | No bookings are required to visit the exhibition. Artist Talk and Exhibition Opening: Saturday 10 January 2:00 PM onwards. |
An exhibition where scientific curiosity and artistic intuition work in tandem to form a deeper connection with the environment.
In Elements of Surprise, the Queensland landscape becomes both subject and collaborator through alternative photographic processes. Native flora actively participate in image-making—crushed eucalyptus leaves yield chemicals that develop film, while sunlight, water, and time interact unpredictably, reviving surprising results. Working at the intersection of art and science, Naomi McKenzie maintains a hands-on practice, responding moment by moment to natural chemistry through constant observation. Each work emerges from a negotiation between artistic intention and environmental unpredictability, where the elements themselves determine texture, tone, and form. The exhibition invites audiences to reconsider what a photograph can be: not just a representation of landscape, but an artifact made by the landscape itself.



































