Two exciting new exhibitions to open at Ballina Arts Centre

Ballina Arts Centre is pleased to present two compelling exhibitions opening on Saturday 17 January, featuring works by David Smith and Susan Madert. 

The exhibitions will be officially opened by Patrick T. Murphy and all are warmly invited to attend the preview at 2pm.

Showing in the Concourse Gallery, Susan Madert presents Interface, a series of paintings set within hotel bedrooms that examine self-knowledge as it emerges at the interface between the individual and their interactions with others. These intimate interior scenes explore moments of reflection, dislocation, and awareness, where private space becomes a site for personal and psychological encounter.

Downstairs, in the Main Gallery, David Smith presents Don’t Forget To Remember, an exhibition of recent paintings that explore the fluid nature of perception and memory. The works reflect an internal picture of lived, remembered, and imagined experience, shaped by influences ranging from Zen philosophy and ink painting to abstraction and photography. Carrying the contrasting landscape imprints of Hong Kong and Ireland, two distant points on the Eurasian continent, the paintings evoke a rich interplay of place and perception.

Memories of sunlight under varied atmospheric conditions rise to the surface throughout the exhibition: dawn mist, city air, heavy pollution, sparse forests, ocean haze, and lake reflections form backdrops for deeper themes. At their core, the works consider the transience of the physical world and the evolving nature of human perception. Through dissolving surfaces and shifting imagery, each painting seeks to capture the energy, space, and decay that animate lived experience.

Both exhibitions will run until 14 March 2026.

Gallery hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10am–6pm 

Admission is free Ballina Arts Centre welcomes everyone to attend and experience these two thoughtful and visually rich exhibitions.