Cairns-based artist Hannah Murray works in a range of media including drawing and painting, as well as fabric and product design.
Responding to North Queensland’s tropical environment and encounters with the Great Barrier Reef, in Sea Monster, Murray reimagines reef fish, shells, orchids, and other flora and fauna as “mythical sea treasures,” transforming them into surreal, symbolic presences. The works are also informed by Murray’s engagement with Spanish artist Maruja Mallo (1902–95), one of the few women associated with Salvador Dalí’s Surrealist circle.
Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts
12 June to 26 July 2026
Queensland
Hannah Murray, The jokers and the thief (detail), 2026, acrylic on board, 40 × 40cm / Photograph: Michael Marzik / Courtesy the artist and Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts, Queensland
