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Reflecting on the remarkable career of Gillian Banks, This retrospective honours a pioneering Northern Territory artist whose work and contributions played a formative role in the arts community within both Katherine and across the Northern Territory.Since arriving in the Territory in 1968, Gillian has been a driving force in the region’s artistic and heritage communities. Her tireless efforts helped establish the Katherine Museum, two National Trust properties, and numerous local arts initiatives including the Loose Group of Artists, Katherine Craft Group, and Arts Katherine. She has served in key roles with the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT), the National Trust, and GYRACC, mentoring generations of artists and advocating for the arts across the Territory.
Gillian’s artistic practice—rooted in formal training at Prahran Tech, RMIT, Melbourne University, and Deakin University—reflects a deep engagement with the Territory’s dramatic landscapes and complex climate. Her expressive watercolours, gouache, oils, and acrylics capture the tension between beauty and danger, serenity and intensity, offering both a visual record and an emotional response to place.
As a contemporary female artist, who lived and worked in remote Australia, Gillian’s legacy is one of resilience, innovation, and community.
Funded by Katherine Town Council's Centenary Grant, this exhibition honours the life and works of one of the NT's most revered artists.
Join us for the opening reception of Gillian Ellet Banks OAM: A Life in Landscape on Friday the 22 May from 6pm. There will be artworks available for sale.
Gillian Ellet Banks OAM: A Life in Landscape will be on show from May 22 to June 20, 2026.
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Event Venue
Lot 3238 Stuart Highway, Katherine East, NT, Australia, Northern Territory 0850
Tickets
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