Agora Gallery, New York
Art Review- Agora Gallery, Chelsea, New York
The works of Donna Robinson form aesthetically beautiful and utterly intriguing vistas from objects many would consider at best worthless, at worst environmentally toxic. She takes inspiration for these works from the beach where she lives, where the tides bring in the washed up debris of human civilization. The mystery of these fragments with unknown pasts attracts Robinson – her initial photographs are layered, transformed, and juxtaposed, the layering used much like paint. The beach, the ultimate boundary between land and sea, above and below, is recreated in these objects. Enlarged, cropped, they become the giant features in an imagined landscape, skies skittering above whilst ravines form. The definition and luminosity of the skyscapes Robinson uses to construct her scenes contrasts directly with the abstraction of the flotsam. Whilst the skies are open and unambiguous, the bright, highly patterned landscapes formed from the world’s detritus become beautiful through being obscured.
Reverse Polarity
eARTH emag review by Danielle Harvey
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Robinson's use of layered textures in her work draw the viewer in. Reverse Polarity creates a sense of isolation and "Otherworldliness", as if the scene could not possibly be from this earth. The feeling of isolation creates a mystical atmosphere as if the images are conjured from a bizarre dream.
Art Review- RealTime Australia’s critical guide to international contemporary art
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RealTime issue #132 April-May 2016
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​https://www.realtime.org.au/art-for-science/
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Donna Maree Robinson’s Pathogenicity is a lustrous creation. The video displays concentric, boldly coloured disc shapes twisting within each other. Inside each circle is a kind of lava-lamp movement—unctuous, gleaming, rolling. Exploring the microbiological colour change processes used by scientists to measure water bacteria, Robinson takes us through a portal to reflect on the invisible aspects of a finite resource that flows within all things. Synthesised sounds and the rubbing of a finger around a wine glass reinforce the work’s cyclical motif, evoking water’s essence. The hypnotic fluidity of the movement of the disks inclines the viewer to slowly tilt their head from side to side in another mesmeric and contemplative creation.
Pathogenicity still, Emergence Exhibition
Eye-catching design wins praise at state awards
Nov, 2025
The Mackay Festival of Arts program has won a Local Government Association of Queensland Communicators (LGx) Award in Brisbane.
The annual LGx Conference was held at the Royal National Convention Centre on November 5 and 6, with more than 100 attendees representing communications teams from Queensland’s 77 local government areas.
The awards were held as part of the conference and categories included Best Communications Team (five people or fewer), Best Communications Team (more than five people), Best Communications Campaign (internal), Best Communications Campaign (external), Best Use of Video, Best Graphic Design and Best Council Communications Professional.
Communications and marketing officers, Alaryse Whitton and Kelley Porter, attended the conference and were proud to accept the award for Best Graphic Design on behalf of designer Chantelle De Meillon, whose work on the Mackay Festival of Arts Program was highly praised by judges.
The front cover artwork was a beautiful piece by local artist Donna Maree Robinson.
The piece, titled ‘Flourish’, reflects the vibrant energy and rich textures of life in our tropical city during its annual arts festival.
It reflects our region’s lush landscapes, bright blooms and the rhythmic sounds of the ocean and local music scene.
They said the program “was so creative, vibrant and thoughtfully designed” and noted how beautifully the artwork tied into the overall layout.
“The layout and typography are really tight and there are no broken graphic design principles. They’ve considered readability while sprinkling so much well-balanced colour and imagery throughout.”
The judges said it was a design that met professional standards whilst brimming with originality and warmth.
The program was a fantastic team effort between the Comms team and the MECC Festivals team, who bring a fantastic line-up of performers to our Mackay Festival of Arts every year.