New exhibition explores impact of 2022 Northern Rivers floods

A new exhibition exploring the aftermath of the catastrophic floods that struck the Northern Rivers region in February and March 2022 is set to open at Lismore Regional Gallery later this month.

Through the Heart…by acclaimed photojournalist Jacklyn Wagner, seeks to capture the human stories behind the catastrophic floods, and marks the exhibition's first local showing following its debut at NSW Parliament House in November 2023.

The exhibition features 100 portraits of Lismore residents in their flood-impacted homes. Each photograph is accompanied by a personal quote from the subject, offering a poignant narrative of loss, resilience, and the slow process of recovery.

In the critical weeks following the floods, Wagner spent her days knocking on doors, listening to stories, and building trust within the community.

“Realising the enormity of the 2022 Lismore flooding, between three and sixteen weeks post-flood, I started documenting affected Lismore homeowners. I knew it was important," she says. 

"I drove to South Lismore, and at the first stop I made, there was a woman sitting in a car parked outside her flood-affected home. Following a conversation, she took me into her unliveable, flood-devastated home. Her family had lost everything, including their dogs.”

The portraits represent Lismore’s diverse community—homeowners who have owned homes within their families for generations, newcomers, renters, young families, artists and creatives, and many more.

All share a deep connection to place and have faced heart-wrenching decisions in the wake of disaster.

Wagner, a pioneering figure in Australian photojournalism, began her career in 1982. She was the first solo photographer for the Lismore Echo (1991) and the first female photographer at The Northern Star (1994). Her accolades include the National Photographic Hammond Care Group’s Images of Our Elders (1997) and the Australian Provincial Newspapers Photographer of the Year (2000).

The exhibition opens on 27 June and runs until 10 August 2025. It's free to enter.

You can find out more here.