Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains the name and words of a person who has passed away.
The life’s work of celebrated Aboriginal artist Uncle Reg Knox is being honoured at Logan Art Gallery in a memorial exhibition recognising his influence on art, culture and community.
But the story behind that legacy began long before major exhibitions, awards and international recognition.
In a Logan City Council digital story transcript, Uncle Reg recalled growing up at Toomelah Boggabilla Aboriginal Mission and learning art from family, Elders and home.
“Oh I liked art when I went to school and most of the Aboriginal kids did art, from home,” Uncle Reg said in the transcript.
“They learned it at home and from their parents or Elders.
“That’s how I come to be an artist.”
The Uncle Reg Knox Memorial Exhibition features works from the Logan Art Collection alongside works by local First Nations artists, reflecting the enduring impact of a Kamilaroi man who made Logan his home and shared culture through art, education and community work.
Uncle Reg, who passed away in 2020, was recognised locally, nationally and internationally during his lifetime, including being commissioned in 1986 to create an artwork as a gift for Pope John Paul II during his Australian visit.
His daughter Missy Knox also spoke in the council digital story about her father’s dedication to art and his drive to keep improving his work.
She described his artwork as “outstandingly beautiful”, while also saying he had been his own harshest critic.
The transcript also records Uncle Reg speaking about the importance of language in his early life.
“My granny used to look after me and she used to talk to me in the lingo and tell me what to say in lingo and all that sort of thing,” he said.
Uncle Reg’s work became closely tied to Logan Art Gallery’s own history.
A Logan Art Gallery retrospective catalogue notes Uncle Reg supported the gallery from its 1995 opening, officiated at an early exhibition and was later commissioned to paint Scrubby Creek for the Logan Art Collection in 1997, a work now included in the memorial exhibition.
The gallery program says the exhibition honours Uncle Reg’s legacy and celebrates his national and international contributions, while recognising his influence on community and culture.
That work extended well beyond gallery walls.
Uncle Reg worked across schools, community groups and services, and was named the 2009 NAIDOC Male Elder of the Year.
The NAIDOC profile described him as a quiet achiever who built bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
The Uncle Reg Knox Memorial Exhibition is open at Logan Art Gallery until Saturday 18 July, from 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Saturday.
Entry is free.
