Lightboxes | Proudfoots Lane
ARTISTS: Herberto Smith
LOCATION: Cnr Commercial Rd + Proudfoots Lane, Murwillumbah. NSW
WHEN: Friday 26th—Sunday 28th June
LINKS: @WanderintoWonder | www.herbertosmith.com
Open-Air Art Exhibitions on Proudfoots Lane | Supported by Business Murwillumbah
LAVA, in partnership with Business Murwillumbah, presents an ongoing opportunity for a Tweed Shire-based artist to participate in curated public exhibitions. These lightbox artworks will be replaced with new artwork for LAVA, creating a dynamic and evolving cultural asset in the heart of Murwillumbah's CBD.
Selected Artist: Herberto Smith
Clockwise (L-R) ‘Where the Forest Breathes’ 2026 | ‘Still Waiting’ 2026 | ‘Fragments’ 2026
Artist Bio
Herberto Smith is a photographer and gaffer based in the Northern Rivers, New South Wales. His practice moves between documentary and portrait photography, with a focus on people, place, and lived experience. He works across personal and commissioned projects, often grounded in direct collaboration with individuals and communities. His images hold a quiet observational approach, shaped by interest in identity, ways of seeing, and how environment influences perception. He is co-founder of Curlew Studio in Murwillumbah, a creative space dedicated to photography, storytelling, and community based practice. His work continues to evolve through long-term projects developed within the region.
Artist Statement
These works trace a shift in my photographic practice from portraiture toward nature. I began with people at the centre of my work, drawn to presence and direct human exchange. Nature remained peripheral. Over time, movement between environments and periods of isolation changed how I work. Photography slowed down. Attention shifted toward observation, stillness, and deep engagement with place. Nature became a field of study and reflection. I began to approach it with the same sensitivity I once reserved for portraiture. This change is not only about subject matter, but about perception and response. These images sit within a form of quiet portraiture. They are not landscape documentation. They emerge through prolonged observation and often function as self-portraits shaped by internal states while moving through natural environments. Photographing people and photographing nature hold different forms of communication. One is immediate and relational. The other is indirect, uncertain, and open. This work exists within that tension. These three works reflect an ongoing shift in practice, where attention, perception, and environment remain in constant dialogue.
Photo Credit: Herberto Smith, Clockwise (L-R) ‘Where the Forest Breathes’ 2026 | ‘Still Waiting’ 2026 | ‘Fragments’ 2026 (Installation Detail)