New exhibition lets ‘cheeky dogs’ run wild in the gallery
Published on 27 November 2025
Hervey Bay Regional Gallery will close out the year with three compelling new exhibitions by Queensland artists, including a solo exhibition by Alywarr artist Dion Beasley.
Fraser Coast Regional Council Arts spokesperson Cr Michelle Govers said Dion Beasley is best known for his playful drawings of camp dogs from his hometown of Tennant Creek, featured in the children’s books Too Many Cheeky Dogs, Go Home Cheeky Animals and his biography Cheeky Dogs: To Lake Nash and Back.
“Now a resident of Hervey Bay, Dion Beasley is presenting his first exhibition in the region, which is a wonderful addition to our local arts scene,” she said.
“His exhibition, Six Dogs, captures the streetscapes, families and camp dogs that define these places, exploring relationships between people, animals and community.
“Dion’s drawings are full of character and life, and knowing that he has achieved such artistry while living with muscular dystrophy and being profoundly deaf makes his work all the more inspiring.”
Exhibiting alongside Six Dogs is Brisbane-based artist Tyza Hart with Appearing, which brings together a decade of practice through a new installation of ceramics and their signature self-portraits.
“Tyza’s works explore the physical and emotional experience of being in a body and push the realms of self-portraiture through paintings, ceramics and textiles,” Cr Govers said.
The collaborative project Weeds to Paper, led by papermaker Zela Bissett in partnership with Butchulla Traditional Custodians and forest rehabilitation volunteers, reimagines weeds as a creative resource rather than a nuisance.
Through chopping, cooking and blending, pest and waste plants are transformed into pulp, then pressed into handmade paper using a technique called couching.
The resulting artworks include collages, linocuts and three-dimensional casts showing how this project can turn something unwanted into something beautiful.
“We’re thrilled to showcase such a diverse range of artists and ideas to finish the year,” Cr Govers said.
“Each exhibition offers something unique, from Dion Beasley’s lively drawings of camp dogs, to Tyza Hart’s deeply personal reflections on the body and self, to the creative reuse of unwanted plant material transformed into paper-based art.”
The three exhibitions open this Friday (28 November) at 5.30 pm with a free public launch at Hervey Bay Regional Gallery and will remain on display until 15 February.
For more information, including opening hours, go to www.hbrg.com.au