_{^{Image credits: Donna Maree Robinson, still from video Spectral 2025}} 

Spectral
Donna Maree Robinson

November 2025 – March 2026
Bunjil Place Outdoor Screen

Spectral draws inspiration from the extraordinary mating dance of the Maratus—Australia’s tiny, jewel-toned peacock spider. In nature, the male Maratus performs an intricate choreography of rhythm, vibration, and colour to captivate his potential mate. His iridescent patterns shimmer under sunlight like living pixels, transforming instinct into art—a performance that balances beauty and vulnerability, risk and reward.

In this installation, human bodies become extensions of the spider’s ritual. Under UV light, dancers painted in luminescent patterns evoke the pulsing, hypnotic gestures of the Maratus. Their movements explore attraction, attention, and the delicate power dynamics of being seen. The UV glow dissolves individuality, reducing humans to vibrant signals—just as the spider’s dance transcends species logic and becomes pure expression.

Through this metaphor, Spectral reflects on how we too perform for connection—illuminating ourselves to be noticed, admired, or chosen. Beneath the spectacle of light and movement lies the same primal question: how do we express desire, risk rejection, and reveal our most dazzling selves in the hope of being truly seen?

Donna Maree Robinson
Donna Maree Robinson is an internationally exhibited Queensland-based artist working across digital media, projection, and site-specific installation. Her practice explores light, movement, and storytelling through public artworks, filmmaking, murals, and festivals—transforming spaces into immersive experiences.
Robinson has been represented by galleries in New York and Sydney, her work has been shown across Australia and internationally in Iceland, where she completed a two-month winter residency in 2013. A Master of Contemporary Art graduate, Donna has been mentored by acclaimed new media artist Craig Walsh and has received major recognition including the Queensland Regional Arts Digital Art Award. She has also been a finalist for the Lumen Art Prize (London), the Contemporary Art Awards (Australia), the Screengrab International New Media Art Award, and the Sunshine Coast Art Prize.
Her permanent public artworks in Townsville and Mackay merge art and environment through technology, community, and imagination.
donnamareerobinson.com
@ donnarobinsonart