The Condensery Somerset Regional Art Gallery

03/09/2026

“Djau is the Meerooni word for “country, home, land or soil”. The light sculpture presents the updated latitude and longitude coordinates, lifted from James Cook’s journal documenting his landing on my ancestral homeland.

Cook named the place Bustard Bay, after the bird he hunted there in 1770. 200 years after his landing the area was renamed Town of 1770, an act of historical branding that silences the living presence of the Meerooni peoples and our stories.

Djau, resists erasure, reclaiming and reframing Cook’s recorded coordinates as a declaration of sovereignty, rebranding the symbol as the international post code for my homeland. It marks the location as not a relic of history but a testament of enduring connection between Meerooni, our ancestors, and our country.” – Darren Blackman

Visit ‘Absence’ now on display at The Condensery

Image credit: Phil Lister

02/09/2026

Last week The Condensery was delighted to host Shannon Garson and Robyn Fernandez (Regional Art Services Network) together with artisan for two inspiring workshops focused on building creative confidence, sharing ideas and connecting with fellow artists and makers. ✨

From learning how to give and receive constructive feedback, to finding more authentic ways to talk about work the workshops offered practical tools and fresh perspectives.

A big thank you to Shannon, Robyn and artisan and to everyone who joined us !

The Regional Arts Services Network is an initiative of the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

01/09/2026

Its officially Spring 🌸 which means it’s the perfect season for a road trip to the Somerset region!

Celebrate with us this Saturday as we host free guided tours of our historic building and current exhibitions on display.

Held as part of ‘Back to Toogoolawah Annual Market Day', The Condensery will be hosting free guided tours at 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM

After your visit join in the celebrations in Toogoolawah with over 50 market stalls, local foods and even walks with friendly llamas 🦙

See you there 🌞

Images by Phil Lister

31/08/2026

‘Snarm’ is the accumulation of a participatory project led by artist Nataly Lee with families currently living in displacement camps along the Thai/Cambodian border. Here, Nataly Lee shares their stories:

'When I first arrived at one of the displacement camps along the Thai-Cambodian border, I immediately noticed this mother and child. They reminded me of my own childhood and of my mother, who, only forty years earlier, made the difficult decision to flee Cambodia and seek safety at the Khao I Dang refugee camp.

The child pictured here is around the same age I was when my family made that journey. Only one or two photographs remain from that period of my own life, and that absence has shaped the way I think about images, memory, and archives.

As part of Snarm, I return printed portraits to the families I photograph. In places where personal documentation is often limited, these images can become important records of family, memory, and everyday life, preserving moments that might otherwise be lost.’ – Nataly Lee

Visit Snarm now at The Condensery, on display to 20 September.

28/08/2026

Recently, The Condensery was thrilled to welcome Visual Arts students from Toogoolawah State High School for a special engagement session with exhibiting artist Darren Blackman.

Students learned about the stories and cultural practice that informed his exhibition ‘Absence’ and learnt principles of artwork concept development.

Thank you to Darren for this incredible session and to all the students who joined us! ☀

Image: Naomi McKenzie

27/08/2026

Featured as part of برزخ Liminal, Silent conversation is an installation and ongoing participatory artwork by Sha Sarwari that explores public attitudes towards refugees and asylum seekers while examining the complexities of social engagement.

The project emerged from the artist's desire to understand the contrast between public discourse presented in the media and his own interactions with members of the public on the subject of asylum seekers.

Experience برزخ Liminal now at The Condensery.

Open Wed – Sun.
10am – 4pm

26/08/2026

Last week The Condensery was delighted to welcome artist-in-residence Kuweni Dias Mendis to lead a special two-day earth pigment workshop. 🌱

Over the two days participants considered how to collect earth ethically and sustainably, taking only what was needed while observing and recording the qualities of place. Through gathering, grinding, sieving and refining local soils, they transformed earth pigments into natural paints for use on paper and fabric.

The workshop encouraged a deeper relationship with land grounded in care, reciprocity and respect.

Thank you to Kuweni and to those who joined us for this truly memorable experience. 🌞

Images 1-3: Naomi McKenzie

25/08/2026

Looking forward to it!

Our Annual Market Day on Saturday 5 September 2026 is supported by terrific installations and ‘open venues’ around town. Our wonderful contemporary art gallery,housed in one of the original Nestles Condensed Milk Factory buildings, offers free entry and guided tours at 10.30am and 11.30am on the Saturday morning.

Explore the gallery’s current exhibitions alongside the history of this unique building and its origins as the former Nestlé condensed milk factory. Discover the artists, ideas and stories behind the exhibition artworks while learning more about the site’s important place in Toogoolawah’s history.

21/08/2026

Presented in The Condensery’s Creation Station, ‘Beyond the rhetoric’ is an interactive artwork by Sha Sawari about migration, identity, belonging, and finding connection through language.

Inspired by the beauty of Persian Nastaliq calligraphy, it features words of hope, kindness, and unity that encourage us to think about the experiences of war, displacement, and prejudice.

Visitors can create their own rubbing artwork using the calligraphy, becoming part of the artwork themselves. By taking their rubbing home, they help share its message beyond the gallery.

‘Beyond the rhetoric’ shows how art and language can bring people together, and help everyone feel a greater sense of compassion and unity.

Open Wed – Sun.
10am – 4pm

21/08/2026

JOIN US! The Condensery is seeking volunteers. If you have a passion for art and good conversation please get in touch.

Volunteering is a great way to become actively involved in your community, enhance and continue skills development, meet and interact with people of all ages and interests, build your confidence, learn new skills and, most of all, experience art.

More information is on our website, or email [email protected]

SANDI HOOK, ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG – LAYERS OF MEANING (DETAIL) 2024. LITHOGRAPH PRINT AND TEXTILE ON PAPER. PHOTO: LOUIS LIM.