Collection: navigator spirit ark: Arone Raymond Meeks

02 May — 19 July 2026

NorthSite Contemporary Arts

This major retrospective of Arone Raymond Meeks brings together over one hundred works spanning painting, printmaking, sculpture and illustration. Presented by NorthSite Contemporary Arts , Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative and the Estate of the Artist, the exhibition reflects a deep, longstanding relationship with the artist, and with organisations having held custodial care of significant works across his career. 

Drawn from public and private collections, the exhibition traces a practice grounded in Country, spirituality and identity, while highlighting Meeks’ enduring contribution to national and international art contexts as one of Australia’s most distinctive contemporary Aboriginal voices. 

At the heart of the exhibition is Meeks’ unique visual language—where ancestral knowledge systems intersect with contemporary experience. Influenced by the Quinkan rock art traditions of Cape York and the ancestral presence of the Rainbow Serpent, his works evoke a living cosmology of guardianship, movement and renewal. Recurring forms—waterholes, woven vessels and flowing systems—speak to the interconnectedness of people, place and cultural responsibility. 

Featuring key historical early prints to the Spirit Ark series, the exhibition traces a powerful journey of identity, belonging and cultural continuity. Presented as part of the citywide Cairns Indigenous Art Fair program, it affirms Meeks’ enduring legacy within Far North Queensland and beyond. 

Both a tribute and a critical reflection, the exhibition positions Meeks as an artist who bridged worlds—urban and remote, traditional and contemporary, individual and community. Accompanied by a major publication and developed for national touring, the project ensures his work continues to resonate with new audiences while honouring the cultural foundations from which it emerges. 

Led by curatorial leads Dr Bronwyn Bancroft AM, Dr Russell Milledge and Geoff Dixon with support from Aven Noah Jnr, and Jack Wilkie-Jans – the project brings together extensive cultural and curatorial expertise in a landmark presentation.