Inspired by personal stories and everyday life, Marisa's work captures the intrinsic relationship between material, maker and process. In a practice characterised by an appreciation for form, line, and meticulous process, her work is exploratory and diverse, incorporating a range of media, including fibre, textile, clay, timber, metal and found materials. She blends contemporary and traditional t…

Inspired by personal stories and everyday life, Marisa's work captures the intrinsic relationship between material, maker and process. In a practice characterised by an appreciation for form, line, and meticulous process, her work is exploratory and diverse, incorporating a range of media, including fibre, textile, clay, timber, metal and found materials. She blends contemporary and traditional techniques embedding personal stories in work that explores form, space, light and shadow. Marisa encourages conversation about the dynamics of self-determination and encourages new ways of seeing Aboriginal Australian identity.

Marisa Ballinger is a multidisciplinary artist based on Giabal Jarowair Country in Toowoomba. Marisa has a diverse background that includes hairdresser, partner, mother, business owner, avid gardener, renovator, with the need to feed her creativity a constant companion in her life since childhood. With the freedom of being an “empty nester”, came weaving - the catalyst into what is now the founda…

Marisa Ballinger is a multidisciplinary artist based on Giabal Jarowair Country in Toowoomba. Marisa has a diverse background that includes hairdresser, partner, mother, business owner, avid gardener, renovator, with the need to feed her creativity a constant companion in her life since childhood. With the freedom of being an “empty nester”, came weaving - the catalyst into what is now the foundational element of Marisa’s professional practice. Initially a mode of self-care, weaving became a meaningful way of expressing the stories that shape both her identity and place in the world. Deeply influenced by her Ngiyampaa heritage and her family's stories and histories, Marisa explores self-identity, embracing the notion that identity is not fixed but rather dynamic and ever-evolving. Her work weaves together personal, cultural, and historical narratives, drawing on memory and lived experience to reflect the nuanced complexities of our existence.

2025 National First Nations Weaving Salon - Jam Factory & Ku Arts Adelaide 2025 Curator's Choice - The Toowoomba Gallery 2025 The Land & It's Psyche - Macquarie Group Sydney 2025 Facets - Fairholme Open Art Prize Toowoomba Queensland 2024 Connections - University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba 2024 UniSQ Biennial Art Awards - University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba 2024 Other Sites …

2025 National First Nations Weaving Salon - Jam Factory & Ku Arts Adelaide 2025 Curator's Choice - The Toowoomba Gallery 2025 The Land & It's Psyche - Macquarie Group Sydney 2025 Facets - Fairholme Open Art Prize Toowoomba Queensland 2024 Connections - University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba 2024 UniSQ Biennial Art Awards - University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba 2024 Other Sites & Destinations - University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba 2024 My Backyard - St Andrew’s Hospital Toowoomba  2023 Fill Your Eyes - University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba 2023 For Our Elders - The Write Gallery Toowoomba Queensland 2022 Centred - Form to Freedom & Fibre Arts Take Two (Online) 2021 Weaving Connections - Toowoomba Arts Footprint Artist in Residence Project Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery