Sea Monster
12 June - 26 July 2026
Sea Monster
Hannah Murray
Hannah Murray, The jokers and the thief, 2026, Acrylic on board, 40 x 40cm. Photograph: Michael Marzik, courtesy of the artist.
This exhibition presents a new body of work by Hannah Murray, developed in response to North Queensland’s tropical environment. Drawing on encounters with the Great Barrier Reef, Murray has reimagined reef fish, shells, orchids and other flora and fauna as “mythical sea treasures,” transforming them into surreal, symbolic presences.
Working across layered mixed media drawings, paintings and collages, Murray has constructed textured, ambiguous compositions. Organic forms, bold patterning and saturated colours are juxtaposed to move between the grotesque and the sensual, blurring the boundaries between the real and the imagined.
The exhibition is also informed by Murray’s engagement with surrealism and the work of pioneering Spanish artist Maruja Mallo (1902-1995), one of the few women associated with Salvador Dalí’s Surrealist circle. Murray pays tribute to Mallo’s legacy – from her rejection of convention and her symbolic approach to natural forms – while offering her own contemporary perspective on the local tropical environment and its ocean life.
Exhibitions launch
6pm Friday 12 June 2026
Speeches from approx. 6:30pm
Free entry | Bookings not required
Umbrella Floortalks
Lauren Jaye Carter & Hannah Murray
9:30am Saturday 13 June 2026
Full details here
Hannah Murray was born on Bindal Country / Ayr, formerly from Gurambilbarra / Townsville, and is now a Gimuy / Cairns-based contemporary artist and arts educator. She has completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts (2002) from James Cook University, and a Graduate Diploma in Education (2003), The University of Melbourne. Hannah works in a range of media including painting and drawing, as well as product and fabric design.
Also on display during this period
All Exhibitions
Open Hours
Tues - Fri: 9am-5pm
Sat - Sun: 9am-1pm
Gallery closed Mondays, public holidays and during exhibition install weeks.
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Contact
408 Flinders Street,
Gurambilbarra / Townsville,
Qld, 4810 Australia
PO Box 2394,
Gurambilbarra / Townsville,
Qld, 4810 Australia
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Acknowledgement of Country
Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts respectfully acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun and the surrounding groups of our region - Bindal, Gugu Badhun, Nywaigi, Warrgamay, Bandjin and Gudjal - as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, share and celebrate local creative practice. We pay our respects to Elders past and present. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first people of Australia. They have never ceded sovereignty and remain strong in their enduring connection to land and Culture.
Umbrella is a Member & Signatory of the Indigenous Art Code. This means we are committed to fair and ethical trade with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, and transparency in the promotion and sale of artwork. As a Dealer Member and signatory to the Code we must act fairly, honestly, professionally and in good conscience in all direct or indirect dealings with artists.
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Acknowledgements
Umbrella is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, part of the Department of Education, and the Visual Art, Craft and Design Framework, an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments. | Umbrella is supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and receives funding from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. | Townsville City Council is a funding partner of Umbrella's program. | Vetta Creative is Umbrella's fortieth anniversary creative partner.
