Exhibition: Rhubee Neale, Fleeting Moments

Image: Rhubee Neale, Two Nanas Cooking Damper, courtesy of the artist

October 17 - November 28, 2025

Opening tickets

Opening event: Friday, October 31, 5:30-7:30pm

list of works

Foyer Gallery, 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta

Free entry, all welcome

  • You can find Rhubee’s exhibition in The Mill’s Foyer Gallery, located at 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta (Adelaide).

    Gallery II is open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm.

    Accessibility

    The Mill’s entrance has a small step into the building. We have a ramp available, please ring the doorbell and our friendly team will assist you.

    During gallery hours, our entrance will be unlocked. If the door is closed, please ring the doorbell to alert our team.

    The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.

    Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.

For Tarnanthi 2025 we are excited to present Fleeting Moments a new collection of paintings by Anmatyerr and Arrernte woman and contemporary artist Rhubee Neale.

Rhubee has been a regular artist in the Ku Arts studio at The Mill, and we are thrilled to be working with her to show this new group of paintings as part of Tarnanthi. Rhubee’s paintings are joyful and full of life, their brightly coloured narratives take us on a journey to what she refers to as ‘paradise places’. When making these paintings, Rhubee is both imaginative and reflective, recollecting moments from her life including growing up on Country with her family. She also paints dreams and imaginings, capturing on canvas some of the fleeting moments of beauty that she has experienced.

Rhubee is generous in sharing her story, which is underpinned by a deep connection to Country and Kin. She speaks about interconnectedness, care, friendship and beauty. And, she also shares about her struggles and the balance between strength and fragility, which must be honoured. Rhubee’s journey as an artist is multifaceted and not without its complexities, but the underlying message of this exhibition is about holding tightly to love.

She says ‘Fleeting Moments is more than an exhibition — it’s an invitation to pause, breathe, and reflect on the moments that define us. These works speak to the echoes of the past, the whispers of ancestry, and the weight of memory, all while celebrating the enduring connections that sustain us.’

  • Rhubee Neale is a proud Anmatyerr and Arrernte woman from Alice Springs (Mparntwe), now living in  Kaurna Country. An award-winning artist, singer-songwriter, and speaker, Rhubee uses her art and music to promote resilience, healing, and cultural celebration. Her mantra, "even a small whisper can create change," reflects her gentle yet powerful approach to advocacy. 

    Named 2024 NAIDOC SA Artist of the Year, Rhubee’s bold and vibrant contemporary paintings have been exhibited across Australia. Rhubee is also known under her creative moniker Desert Rhubee’s Creation

    As a cultural educator, Rhubee shares her journey through art and public speaking. Her dream is to share her art and music globally, fostering understanding and connection. 

  • In Fleeting Moments, I lean into the gentle truth that nothing in this life stays the same. Time slips quietly through our hands, carrying with it people, places, and moments — yet each one leaves an imprint that lingers, shaping who we are. These paintings are woven glimpses — fragments of life I have lived, stories I have been told, and visions born in imagination. Some are real, some are dreamt, yet all hold the tender pulse of life’s fleeting beauty. For me, creating is also an escape — a way to step outside the noise of the everyday, to lay down the weight of trauma, and to find a quiet place where my spirit can rest. My Anmatyerre and Arrernte heritage guides my hand. Every brushstroke is a meeting place between memory and cultural story, a space where resilience, love, and connection to Country are carried forward. These works are not simply to be seen — they are to be felt, walked through, and remembered. I invite you to wander within them, to find your own reflections, and to honour the beauty that lives in moments that cannot last forever, yet stay with us always.

    Through vividly imagined and fictional places woven together, the work invites viewers to pause and reflect on the fleeting yet powerful moments that shape our lives. It celebrates the interconnectedness of people, generations, and cultures, while honouring the fragility and beauty of these bonds.


This exhibition has support from