Thinking Big and Beyond! At SoNoosa
Like any masterpiece, SO Noosa continues to evolve and grow with many layers. Deb Caruso explores what’s up next for this dynamic art gallery and artist studio.
There’s a daring sense of momentum rising at Studio One Noosa this summer.
The gallery, already known among locals and visitors for shining a light on contemporary Australian art, is pushing further with Think Big – a new exhibition that asks audiences to expand their expectations of what art can be.
Running through to 31 January 2026, it’s set to be one of the season’s most exciting showcases, bringing together artists who thrive in the realm of scale, imagination and big ideas.
Described by artist, curator and Studio One Noosa Director Juanita Van Den Bergh as “ambitious, expressive and ever-changing,” Think Big is not a show you visit once.
“Works shift, rotate and evolve over the season, forming a living, unpredictable collection that reveals something new each time you step inside,” she promises.
“It’s the kind of exhibition that rewards curiosity; the kind that grows as you do.”
Studio One Noosa has built its identity on this approach. The gallery began as an online space created by artist Juanita and partner, Richard Donelly, before growing into a full creative hub on Gateway Drive.
What sets it apart is its commitment to doing things differently: exhibitions that transform across the year, a working studio behind the scenes, professional print service, and a philosophy built around making original art more accessible.
The dynamic duo has consistently championed a mix of local and national works, making space for everything from emerging talent to seasoned artists whose work belongs in major collections but is just as powerful hanging in homes in Noosa and beyond.
Think Big gathers an impressive line-up: Thom Kadera brings his energetic coastal scapes, full of movement and playful perspective, works that feel like summer stretching across a canvas; Brisbane artist Lisa Perruzza adds her unmistakable abstracts, rich in colour and texture, with compositions that pull you in layer by layer; Carley Bourne’s Mediterranean series offers sun-washed hues and expressive mark-making that seem to sway with the rhythm of distant shores.
Juanita contributes her signature blues – moody, atmospheric and instantly recognisable – artworks that seem to shift tone depending on how the light lands.
Saint Chalom’s abstract florals bring a burst of wild, instinctive energy, while Bronwyn Barton delivers stunning botanicals that showcase her refined sense of colour and intricate mark-making.
Stephen Berger, the exhibition’s only First Nations artist, brings depth, perspective and cultural grounding through works that bridge stories of place with contemporary expression.
They’re just some of the artists featured, but together they set the pace and tone for a show built around scale, concept and ambition.
One of the things that has made Studio One Noosa stand out is its ability to surprise. Past exhibitions have brought in artists from across the country, creating unexpected combinations that expand the region’s creative landscape.
Juanita is constantly sourcing new work, forging connections, and seeking artists who are exploring ideas with freshness and fearlessness.
That sense of active curation from someone always on the lookout for the next exciting piece to hang, gives the gallery an energy that is hard to replicate.
With Think Big, that energy is amplified. This isn’t just a collection of large artworks. It’s a showcase of boldness, expressed differently by each artist, yet united in a shared willingness to push against what’s familiar.
Some pieces challenge scale, others challenge form, and others challenge preconceptions entirely.
The effect is an exhibition that feels alive; a conversation happening in real time between artists, their ideas and the viewers who wander through.
For visitors, it’s a chance to encounter works that provoke, delight, unsettle and inspire. For collectors, it’s an opportunity to secure pieces that speak to a distinctly Australian voice in contemporary art – not safe, not small, but layered with intention and confidence.
And for Studio One Noosa, it’s a declaration of what the gallery represents: a curated experience where big names, adventurous works and fresh concepts sit side by side.
As summer unfolds, Think Big offers something rare – an exhibition that refuses to stand still.
Whether you’re strolling in after lunch on the river, making an afternoon of gallery hopping on Gateway Drive, or returning to see what’s changed since your last visit, the invitation remains the same: step in with an open mind and let the works reshape what you think you know about Australian art today.
Come February, the energy will change to offer a more subdued exhibition featuring the latest works by Juanita.
Running from 3-28 February, The Quiet Between speaks to the subtle spaces where things shift – where sea dissolves into sky, light fades into shadow, and emotion moves quietly beneath the surface.
These latest works by Juanita explore the moments we often overlook: the pause between breaths, the stillness after movement, the soft transition before something becomes something else.
Rather than defining form, the paintings hold space for feeling; they invite viewers to rest in the liminal, to sense rather than interpret, to notice the delicate threads that connect one state to another.
In this body of work, nothing is fixed – colour unravels, boundaries blur, and meaning is found not in what is seen, but in what is felt in The Quiet Between.
Studio One Noosa continues to evolve as a place where creativity isn’t just displayed, but actively championed.
And this summer, they’re encouraging everyone to think bigger, dream bigger, and experience art that isn’t afraid to take up space – visually, conceptually and emotionally.
That’s SO Noosa!
Think Big & Beyond
SoNoosa is located in the Gateway to Art creative precinct – a destination for art lovers and the art curious with the highest concentration of artists and galleries in the region.
Don’t miss these upcoming exhibitions at SoNoosa:
Think Big – Until 31 January
An Evolving and Revolving Showcase of Today’s Avant-Garde for collectors, dreamers, and those who believe art should make you feel something -Think Big… Dream Bigger
The Quiet Between – 3-28 February
Latest works by Artist Juanita Van Den Bergh exploring the moments we often overlook: the pause between breaths, the stillness after movement, the soft transition before something becomes something else.
SoNoosa offers an every-changing gallery of art. Its online store represents artists from the region and beyond and offers access to original works and limited edition fine art prints. To explore the range and to sign up for exclusive invitations to exhibition openings and discover the latest releases, scan the QR code or visit www.studioonenoosa.com.au
