Pullman Cairns International has teamed up with UMI Arts to showcase three of the region’s leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists as part of a permanent exhibition.
The inner-city hotel has commissioned UMI Arts’ member artists, Tatapai Barsa, Lisa Michl Ko-manggén OAM and Melanie Hava to create a series of 20 unique and special artworks which will be showcased exclusively across three hotel floors.
“While each artist has their own hotel ‘floor’, all original works are displayed in the lift lobby with two reproductions of the smaller pieces in each of the guest rooms – one above the mini bar and another in the bathroom,” Pullman Cairns General Manager Monique Harmer said.
“We thought the lobby walls were a perfect space to showcase some of our amazing local artists and provide them a platform for visibility to a broad audience – predominantly domestic travellers now, but in time, we look forward to welcoming back our international guests. We know they will appreciate this element of our enhanced guest experience.”
Each exhibition will give an insight into the artist’s tribal lands and lore, song lines and storytelling, and information about each artist will be displayed on the respective floors.
Harmer said feedback has been super positive.
“Our guests particularly love the artwork’s connection to the local area,” she said.
The art exhibition is part of Pullman Cairns major refurbishment program, which has been underway since mid-2021. The hotel spans 16 floors and includes 321 rooms.
Australia’s national community legal centre for artists and arts organisations, Arts Law, assisted with the collaboration to ensure that UMI Arts and the Pullman Cairns International had best practice contracts in place.