A compelling new exhibition at the Northern Rivers Community Gallery in Ballina is spotlighting the strength, vision and legacy of emerging First Nations artists through deeply personal and place-based storytelling.
Titled Yangbal, the NAIDOC Group Exhibition features four young Bundjalung artists; Daniel Roberts, Loren Del Signore, Savannah Roberts-Hickling, and Levi Leslie Roberts -whose works explore identity, culture, and country through paint, pattern and personal memory.
Held in conjunction with 2025 National NAIDOC Week, the exhibition reflects this year’s theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy, and honours local knowledge passed down through generations.
At the heart of the exhibition are artworks that vividly bring to life the stories of significant places like Boundary Creek and cultural practices such as the mullet run, illustrating a deep and enduring connection to Bundjalung country.
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“These aren’t new stories -they’ve been told before by our elders. I’m just sharing my perspective,” said Daniel Roberts, a proud Bundjalung/Dunghutti man from Cabbage Tree Island.
“I grew up fishing the mullet run, and going out to Boundary Creek. It’s about who we are -saltwater people -and these paintings are about continuing that story in a new form.”
Roberts’ works in the show include striking representations of Nyanbook (Boundary) Creek, created using acrylics, ochre and modelling paste to honour the significance of the site. Some of his earlier works are on permanent exhibition at Ballina Byron Gateway Airport.
He says this latest show also marks the 20th anniversary of “Back to Boundary” -a 2005 community-led celebration that brought together families from Cabbage Tree Island and beyond.
The exhibition also introduces Levi Roberts, a 14-year-old Bundjalung, Gameroi and Dunghutti artist, making his gallery debut with a series of expressive works developed from a young age.
“I started drawing when I was four,” Levi told Ballina News Daily. “At first it was a way to communicate and express myself. Over time it just kept evolving -and now I’m here, in a proper exhibition. It feels really exciting.
“I’d love to keep going with my art,” he added. “It’s the one thing I feel really good at, and it’s something I want to keep building on -maybe even as a career.”
Also featured is Savannah Roberts-Hickling, whose acclaimed HSC Visual Arts body of work All About Me has been selected for the 2025 ARTEXPRESS showcase. Her pieces reflect deep cultural roots stretching from Cabbage Tree Island to Walgett and Goodooga.
Loren Del Signore, a Nyangbal Bundjalung, Yaegl and Italian artist, rounds out the NAIDOC exhibition with vivid, feminine landscapes filled with native plants and colour. Working under her business, Ginibi Designs, her works celebrate the strength and legacy of the Aboriginal women in her family.
The exhibition is presented alongside three other newly launched shows celebrating diverse artistic voices:
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All four exhibitions are open until 17 August 2025. Entry is free.
Main Photo: Artists Daniel Roberts, Leslie Roberts and Lauren Delson Signore, with five year-old art-lover Amirah.
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