Leagues

Rugby League is arguably Australia’s national game. It’s certainly Queensland’s game of choice. And for Townsville and the surrounding regions, it is a part of weekly life. From junior clubs and local community teams through to the spectacle of the mighty North Queensland Cowboys, the game, with its working-class roots and broad reach, is much more than just a sport to its many followers.

Leagues will celebrate the modern game and its place in our lives. This brand-new exhibition brings together some of the country’s leading contemporary artists who have created artworks that capture the power and the passion, the glory and the grunt, of rugby league and reflect on the many ways that the game shapes our communities.

Bold, brash and colourful, this Townsville exclusive exhibition will feature newly commissioned artworks immortalising local Cowboys heroes, alongside works that reflect the reach of the game across the country and beyond. A must see for any league fan and for lovers of contemporary art alike, Leagues features artworks from Billy Bain, Yuriyal Bridgeman, Weaver Hawkins, Samuel Hodge, Samuel Leighton-Dore, Kate Mitchell, Jason Phu and design duo Romance Was Born (Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales).

Curated by Bradley Vincent for Townsville City Galleries.

Image: Weaver Hawkins (England/Australia 1893-1977) Dance of the football 1947, oil on canvas on cardboard, 50.5 x 61 cm. Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased 1953 © Estate of HR Weaver Hawkins. Image © Art Gallery of New South Wales 8722