Donna Albany shares ‘Salt and Stone’ a solo exhibition capturing the heart of  her Kalkadoon desert Country and spirit of coastal living on Bundjalung Country.Donna Albany’s first solo exhibition ‘Salt and Stone’ marks a profound deepening of Donna Albany’s engagement with the interwoven geographies of her life—the coastal reach of Bundjalung Country and the red-earth, iron-rich ranges of her ancestral Kalkadoon Country. Developed during her residency at the Yarrawarra Cultural Centre, this body of work functions as a sensory mapping of two distinct terrains that coexist within the artist’s identity.

Working across expansive canvases and tactile ceramic forms, Albany traces the meeting points between saltwater and freshwater, coast and inland, ancient and immediate. These dualities are not presented as fixed oppositions, but as fluid and relational—shaped by movement, memory, and the slow passage of time.

Salt and stone emerge as material anchors within this dialogue—salt as residue and rhythm, carried on air and tide, crystallising through cycles of evaporation and return; stone as weight and foundation, iron-rich and enduring, holding the slow memory of geological time. Together, they speak to processes of accumulation, erosion, and transformation that shape both landscape and identity.

Earth-laden ochres and oxidized reds—drawn from iron-rich geologies that have weathered and deepened over millennia—evoke the enduring, elevated structure of inland Country, recalling the rugged, red stone terrains and mineral-rich ranges of Kalkadoon Country. In contrast, layered blues and gestural surfaces register the shifting rhythms of tidal and river systems. These are more than landscapes; they are embodied memories of a continuum where material, landscape, and identity converge.

Alongside ‘Salt and Stone’ solo exhibition is the annual ‘All Fired Up’ pottery exhibition showcasing the talent of local First Nations ceramic creativity. The dynamic exhibition continues to push the boundaries of contemporary First Nations art and cultural expression. The ‘Up Your Arts’ program encourages local First Nations artists access the on-site fully equipped pottery studio in the months leading up to the annual ‘All Fired Up’ showcase.

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Getting to: Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre

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Opening Hours

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Sunday, Saturday
9:00 am to 2:00 pm