Beneath the Surface – Curator Floor Talk with Kim Stokes
Saturday 11 April 2026 | 11:30 AM
Surfers Paradise
Kim will tour us through the Gallery sharing key insights into the curatorial thinking behind the exhibition, and her perspectives on selected works on display.
Join us in the Beneath the Surface exhibition for a roaming floor talk with HOTA Curator Kim Stokes.
About Kim Stokes
Kim Stokes is an artist and curator based in the Yugambeh Language Region / Gold Coast. As Curator at HOTA, Home of the Arts, she has worked with the gallery’s expansive ceramic collection and will oversee the Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award in 2026. Across her combined practice, she is concerned with ecologies of digital culture; exploring archival, assemblage, and expanded photographic methods. She is a former Co-Director of Nextdoor Artist Run Initiative (2020-2023) and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Queensland University of Technology.
About the Exhibition
Beneath the Surface weaves together shifting perspectives on the presence of water within the Australian landscape. Where some artists look to natural waterways for inspiration, others use water as a metaphor to reveal hidden histories and unseen power structures. Through painting, printmaking, photography and sculptural installation, water is examined as a channel for memory, culture and transformation.
At the heart of the exhibition is the monumental painting The rainforest by William Robinson (1936-2025), a key work from the HOTA Collection. Here, the artist depicts the winding Botan Creek in Beechmont, a World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforest located in the Gold Coast Hinterland.
The exhibition includes artworks on loan from the Jreissati Family Private Collection, alongside artworks from the HOTA Collection. HOTA wishes to thank the Jreissati family for their continued support.
Getting there
Consider using public transport or active travel. Plan your trip with Translink's journey planner.
Parking may be limited. For metered parking, use the EasyPark app to start, end, and extend your parking direct from your phone to avoid fines. For more information visit City of Gold Coast's Parking page.