'Tactile Illusions' - A revolt of decadence in a time of opulence
China Heights presents a group exhibition spanning painting, textiles, assemblage, and ceramics. Balancing playful, bold aesthetics with a sardonic undertone, the show features Benedict dos Remedios with vibrant depictions of exotic flora, Midori Goto with underwater-inspired ceramics akin to aquatica, and Yoko Georgiou with over-bright, tactile hand-tufted textiles viewed through a Japanese folk lens. Providing the show's darker counterpoint, Marina Inoue contributes adult noir vignettes in oil, while Eli van Engelen uses liquid graphite on canvas to create surreal, awkwardly tense compositions. Madi Feist unifies the exhibition with suspended assemblage forms that serve as the overarching scaffold, skeleton, and genetic DNA, binding the tactile illusion together.


Eli van Engelen. The svelte, seductive, opulent graphite on canvas works by Eli van Engelen are invariably alluring, at times frivolous, & on the occasion filled with a steely intensity that make them feel both intimate and elusive leading her viewers to pause and peer into the suspended cinematic moments she creates. Van Engelen’s work reflects an ongoing engagement with image collection and digital archiving, examining how the accumulation of online content offers fleeting, voyeuristic glimpses into the lives of others most often unknown or, at the very least, known yet ambiguous. These fragments, once untethered from their original context, are reimagined through a visual language that is both delicate and deliberate.

Madi Feist is a multidisciplinary artist living and working on Gadigal land in Eora/Sydney. Her current practice centres on creating sculptures from discarded materials, and the mundane remnants of daily life. Feist held her first solo exhibition BAG LADY at Puzzle Gallery, Sydney in 2024, and has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including a commissioned work in  ’How to dismantle the world...', Verge Gallery. She was the recipient of the Recycled Materials Award at Hornsby Shire Council’s Remagine Art Prize (2026), awarded Gosford Regional Gallery’s Emerging Art Prize (2025), and was a finalist in the Burwood Art Prize and Hazelhurst Art On Paper Award (2025). Feist holds a Master of Fine Arts from the National Art School, Darlinghurst. During her studies, was the recipient of the East Sydney Doctors Scholarship (2020) and the Derivan Prize for Mixed Media (2019).

Yoko Georgiou is a multi-disciplinary artist from Japan, based on the Surf Coast in Australia. Working across various mediums – from textile design to rug tufting, paper craft to painting – Yoko transforms childhood memories and inspiration from nature into bold and vivid-coloured creations. Tangibility is a key goal across Yoko’s endeavours, all of her pieces are intended to be interacted with as functional artworks.

Midori Goto is a Sydney based artist. Working with ceramics using traditional techniques passed down by her family through spiritual practices, rituals and the traditions behind Zimbabwe and its history of ceramics, referencing building techniques seen in Great Zimbabwe through to ceramic practices dating back to the Iron Age.
Immersed in the space of repetition and ritual, a method that has been muscle memory since childhood, Midori uses clay in ways that express her playful curiosity towards the world as well as perception combined with sensory exploration and boundless possibilities of artist expression.

Marina Inoue. Born and raised in New York City to two working class commercial artists, Marina Inoue grew up in the punk scene and has worked as a tattooer since 2008. With no formal university education in the arts or otherwise, she spent most of her adult life switching between tattooing and living nomadically all over the rural and Western United States. After deciding to relocate permanently to London in 2023, she began to experience a deep isolation and longing for the familiarity of home, while simultaneously having no desire to return. This contrast of feelings forced self-reflection and a re-examination of identity, leading to a new practice of oil painting.

Benedict dos Remedios is an artist with a rich cultural heritage, hailing from a diverse background that weaves together Australian, Spanish, and Japanese roots. This multicultural tapestry deeply influences his artistic perspective, enriching all aspects of his artistic practice.
An advocate for environmental conservation, dos Remedios uses his art as a powerful medium to raise awareness and inspire positive change. Through intricate compositions, captivating color palettes, and innovative techniques, he invites viewers to contemplate the mysteries of existence and their place within the ever-evolving natural world.

China Heights presents an exhibition bringing together paintings by artists from Iwantja Arts, Jilamara Arts & Crafts Association, Munupi Arts & Crafts Association, Papunya Tjupi Arts, Papunya Tula Artists and Warakurna Artists. Spanning the Western deserts of Central Australia to the Tiwi Islands, the exhibition presents a survey of First Nations painting through the distinct practices of some of Australia's leading Aboriginal-owned art centres.

The Art Centres:

Iwantja Arts (APY Lands, SA)
Located in the APY Lands and established in the early 1980s, Iwantja supports over 40 Yankunytjatjara artists through painting, experimental media, and collaborative film projects like NEVER STOP RIDING. Featured artists Rosalind Tjanyari and Sallyanne Roberts exemplify the centre's innovative cultural strength, translating ancient Tjukurpa into bold contemporary works that celebrate Anangu artistic excellence.

Jilamara Arts and Crafts (Milikapiti, Tiwi Islands)
Based in Milikapiti on Melville Island, Jilamara translates ceremonial ochre body markings ("Jilamara") onto canvas, silk, and digital media. As the cultural hub of the Tiwi community, it supports around 60 artists whose works are held in major collections worldwide. Featured artist Jacinta Lorenzo carries this dynamic tradition forward, reimagining sacred clan totems and Tiwi creation stories with a vibrant contemporary palette.

Munupi Arts & Crafts Association (Tiwi Islands)
Formed in 1990 at Pirlangimpi on Melville Island, Munupi is the youngest Tiwi Islands art centre, providing vital space for cultural pride, employment, and artistic expression through ochre painting. This exhibition showcases six exceptional Munupi artists: Andre (Andrea) Tipungwuti, Christine Puruntatameri, Declan Apuatimi, Josephine Burak, Thecla (Bernadette) Puruntatameri, and Theresa Burak. Their ochre canvases vividly depict Kulama ceremonies, Tutini (ceremonial carvings), and seasonal Tiwi narratives.

Papunya Tjupi Arts (Alice Springs, NT)
Based in Papunya, the birthplace of the Western Desert movement, Papunya Tjupi (est. 2007) supports 150 artists carrying on their forefathers' legacy through strong line‑work and evolving storytelling. The centre keeps culture strong through intergenerational teaching of knowledge. Featured artist Keanu Nelson Tjakamarra represents this new generation, powerfully connecting ancestral narratives to the distinctive Papunya style.

Papunya Tula Artists (Western Desert, NT/WA)
Originating from Geoffrey Bardon's 1971 school‑mural project, Papunya Tula is the historic foundation of the Western Desert art movement. Now representing around 120 Pintupi and Luritja artists, it remains wholly Indigenous‑owned. Featured artists Kathleen Nampitjinpa and Melissa Nungurrayi continue this profound legacy, producing works of deep cultural significance that define the movement's enduring brilliance.

Warakurna Artists (Ngaanyatjarra Lands, WA)
Established in 2005 in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands of Western Australia, Warakurna Artists is an energetic community enterprise preserving local Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) through expressive contemporary painting. Beyond the studio, it facilitates trips on Country and supports local employment. Featured artist Elaine Lane embodies the centre's distinctive Western Desert style, channelling deep Ngaanyatjarra cultural heritage and traditional narratives onto canvas.