Melanie Hava Marngaree – Where Stories, Spirits, and Country Meet
CIAF City-Wide Program | Cairns Art Gallery | FREE
14 Jun – 7 Sep 2025
Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-2pm
Free entry | No bookings required
Extending the success of her first solo exhibition in 2023, the Gallery presents a new exhibition of Melanie Hava’s work to coincide with the annual Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF). Hava was born in Mount Isa in 1982 and currently lives and works in Gimuy/Cairns.
Explaining her exhibition title, Hava said, “Marngaree is a traditional Dyribal word meaning ‘place to be together’. It is the name my grandmother’s family gave to Mungalli Falls—a place where our ancestors would gather, connect, and feel a deep sense of belonging. This exhibition reflects that spirit of home, of being together, and of returning to Country.”
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Gallery has commissioned a video of Hava speaking with her grandmother about her Country and the stories that to belong to it.
Image (top):
Melanie HAVA
Bugan Mungan (detail) 2023
synthetic polymer paint, metallic watercolour paint, gold and silver leaf on Arches 300gsm paper
114 x 940 cm
Courtesy of the artist
