Geraldton Regional Art Gallery launch Ink in the Lines and The Visitors at exhibition opening night

Two extraordinary displays lit up Geraldton Regional Art Gallery last week with two touring exhibitions sharing the spotlight.

The exhibitions’ opening night was held at the gallery on Friday night to celebrate two completely different displays both sharing potent messages — an Artback NT Visual Arts exhibition and one from the Australia War Memorial.

The Visitors exhibition by Franca Barraclough features large printed images of Alice Springs that ask you to make sense of place, where you live and how you’re living.

Ms Barraclough said it was a “dancing duality” of living on Country, of reconciling the push and pull of people and place, of belonging and not belonging, of a landscape that simultaneously repels and holds, emotionally and psychologically.

The second touring exhibition, Ink in the Lines, shares framed images of tattoos used to tell stories and share memories in the Australian Defence Force.

Inscribed on skin are their identities as veterans, the commemoration of loss, experiences of trauma and overcoming adversity, the bonds of family and friends and acknowledging the experiences that make us who we are.

The exhibitions are open until Sunday, March 12.