Opening 28 March | Rockhampton Museum of Art
In a world overflowing with images that flash past in seconds, Rockhampton Museum of Art (RMOA) is asking visitors to do something radical: stop, slow down, and truly look.
Opening on 28 March, Intimacy brings together a remarkable group of artists whose work draws upon the personal, the contemplative, and the deeply felt. Rather than competing for instant attention or seeking the next "Instagram moment," this exhibition invites audiences to embrace presence, encouraging a profound, emotional connection that lingers long after leaving the gallery.
Research suggests the average viewer spends just 15-30 seconds looking at an artwork-roughly the time it takes to scroll past a post on a screen. Intimacy turns this behaviour upside down. Instead of spectacle or clever tricks, the exhibition privileges feeling, authenticity, and depth. Each artwork has been sensitively arranged and lit to encourage stillness, discovery, and a sense of communion between the viewer and the work.
Rockhampton Regional Council Communities, Arts and Heritage spokesperson Councillor Drew Wickerson said "Intimacy is an important exhibition because it asks us to do something we rarely make time for which is to slow down and genuinely connect. It reminds us that art isn't just something to glance at, but something to experience deeply.
"RMOA continues to offer exhibitions that challenge, enrich, and inspire our community, and Intimacy is a powerful example of that ambition," he said.
Curated by RMOA Director Jonathan McBurnie, Intimacy has been crafted specifically for the museum's vast spaces. The result is an experience designed not for distraction, but for resonance.
"So much of contemporary life is designed to distract or impress at a glance," McBurnie says.
"With Intimacy, we wanted to create a space where visitors can experience the profound and the personal-artworks that open up slowly, reward attention, and remain with you long after you've left the gallery."
Featuring works by Ron Adams, Roy Ananda, Nick Ashby, John Baldessari, Vicky Browne, Kirsty Bruce, Eugene Carchesio, Regi Cherini, Julie Fragar, Ian Friend, Miles Hall, Michelle Hamer, Caitlin Hespe, Carol Jerrems, Talitha Kennedy, Jo Lankester, Norman Lindsay, Don Nace, Robert Preston, Lorna Quinn, Joel Rea, Edward Ruscha, Sandra Selig, Edward Steichen, Elizabeth Shaw, Gemma Smith, Paul Trefry and Ben Trupperbaumer, the exhibition spans generations, mediums, and sensibilities-all united by a shared focus on the internal and the emotionally charged.
A highlight of the exhibition is Joel Rea's Kingdom (2024), a majestic oil painting exploring humanity's resilience, the mysteries of the cosmos, and the raw power of nature. Known for his meticulously rendered waves, symbolic self-portraits, and motifs drawn from his upbringing along Australia's wild coastline, Rea's work captures the sublime at its most intense and magnetic.
