“Let Colour Speak”
A mother-daughter art show
Following on from our 2025 duo exhibition, “Let Colour Speak” 2026 is our second exhibition together as mother (Jennie Bell) and daughter (me!), held at the Gold Coast University Hospital’s Creative Health Hub, November-December 2026.
This exhibition explores colour as a “third voice” in our intergenerational dialogue where we investigate memory, place and identity through our painting practice.
The show will offer the Gold Coast and nearby communities a deeply personal arts experience that explores how colour can open up creative expression and connection.
About our process
Our collaboration involves alternately identifying a colour palette to which we each respond with our own swatch of “colour recipes”. We then use these to create our painting response.
We have also co-created some paintings directly together, adding another level of collaboration through colour for this show. The image adjacent shows us in process creating a painting that is part of the show.
Our collaborative art practice emerged as a lifeline when COVID-19 restrictions kept us unexpectedly apart for years, while I (Karen) lived in the U.S.A.. What began as video calls where we shared colour prompts and art play, has evolved into a rich artistic conversation. “Let Colour Speak” shares our creative dialogue and collaboration, inviting the community and viewers to engage in their own self-expression through colour too.
FAQs
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Our show will be displayed on the Foyer inside of the Gold Coast University Hospital.
The address is 1 Hospital Blvd, Southport, QLD, 4215. View Map or see building map.
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We would love to see you there! While we don’t have an event scheduled for our show, if you want to prearrange a time to visit with us, please contact me here.
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Yes, all pieces in our show will be available for purchase. However, this show is for everyone - whether or not you are thinking about purchasing - so please come in and say hi, and enjoy viewing the show.
Purchase information will be available with the artworks. You can view Karen’s artwork in the show available for purchase here.
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The show opens 3 November 2026 and will end in the week of 11 January 2027.
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Archive: Our 2025 show — Let Colour Speak
In October 2025 we held our first duo mother-daughter exhibition at Robina Art Gallery. We exhibited a collaborative body of work based around 12 colour palettes, which the 2025 catalogue below contains.
Throughout our exhibition, we facilitated community art activities for any visitors who wanted to experience their own way of letting colour speak in their lives. We both continue to collaborate in designing and delivering creative facilitation for groups, and welcome requests (contact me here).
Please peruse the two blog posts below to dig into the details of our 2025 show, including the outcomes.
Please visit my YouTube channel to enjoy artist talks and interviews between mum Jennie Bell and I, discussing the artworks and palettes.
View the 2025 show catalogue
“Meet the artist” event
The Arts Development Fund is a City of Gold Coast Council fund that supports the Gold Coast’s creative community by fostering professional pathways and skills development, contributing to our city’s vibrant lifestyle.