Following a successful eight-month engagement in Ravensthorpe, Exquisite Bodies continues its regional tour at Shire of Carnarvon Library & Art Gallery from 24 October 2025 – 28 February 2026.
The result of a unique partnership between Shire of Carnarvon, ART ON THE MOVE, The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) and Healthway, the tour will bring an inclusive and participatory visual arts experience to Carnarvon. The regional tour of Exquisite Bodies represents the first time AGWA’s innovative Gallery 09 approach, which emphasises hands-on participation, creative dialogue, and community-led learning, has been piloted outside Perth.
Created by disabled artist Bruno Booth in collaboration with Lilly Blue, AGWA’s Head of Creativity and Learning, Exquisite Bodies is a dynamic and playful exhibition that invites people of all ages and abilities to create large, ever-changing figurative sculptures. Through participation, the exhibition sparks reflection and conversation, and gently challenges assumptions about bodies and ability.
“Exquisite Bodies asks us to reflect on how our bodies move, feel, and function differently, and to find beauty in those differences,” said artist Bruno Booth. “It’s a space where creativity becomes a tool for empathy.”
Image credits: Exquisite Bodies installation view, The Art Gallery of Western Australia, Gallery 09, 2023. Photography by Louise Coghill.
First presented at AGWA in 2022–23, Exquisite Bodies began as a year-long exploration of creativity, connection and wellbeing. The regional tour continues this journey, giving galleries and their local communities more time to engage with the exhibition in meaningful ways. With support from Healthway, local creative facilitators are working directly with communities – sparking conversations, encouraging hands-on creativity and helping people to connect through the arts.
“We are committed to backing initiatives like Exquisite Bodies that bring people together and strengthen social and emotional wellbeing,” said Healthway CEO Colin Smith. “By encouraging imagination and open conversations, the project helps children and communities thrive through the arts.”
In Carnarvon, local artists Joshua Herrits, Jimmy Nguyen, and Andre Salandanan will join the project as Creative Facilitators, bringing their own perspectives and lived experience as people with disability.
Supported through on-the-job learning and professional development, Creative Facilitators will lead conversations and collaborative making processes. Herrits, Nguyen and Salandanan will work alongside staff from Shire of Carnarvon, who are also actively contributing to program delivery and community engagement.
Image credit: Carnarvon Exquisite Bodies project team: L-R Keely Robertson, Daniel Davies-Norrish, Dorcus Mutua, Josha Herrits,
Bruno Booth, Lilly Blue, Andre Salandanan, Drew Dubs, Rochelle O’Brien, Sofie Lammens. Not pictured Jimmy Nguyen
and Carnarvon Project Manager Stuart McMillan. Photo supplied by Shire of Carnarvon.
“We’re proud to welcome Exquisite Bodies to Carnarvon and support a project that celebrates inclusion, creativity, and the power of shared experience,” said Shire President Eddie Smith. “This is a wonderful opportunity to explore how art can bring us together and reflect the diversity of our community.”
Exquisite Bodies will officially open on Friday 24 October with a free community celebration at the Carnarvon Library & Gallery from 5.30PM. The exhibition continues until 28 February 2026.