Artist announced for Council’s Climate Conversations project
Published on 31 January 2025
Local Indigenous artist Karla Dickens has been selected for Byron Shire Council’s $5,000 Climate Conversations commission, for her project, Rise and Fall.
Climate Conversations is a creative initiative that invites Northern Rivers artists to collaborate with community and explore ways we can adapt, re-organise, and evolve in the face of climate change through the arts.
The theme for the second iteration of Climate Conversations is ‘Rising’ and artists were invited to propose a collaborative, community focused project and exhibition.
“We received a number of excellent applications that were engaging, thought provoking and innovative,” Byron Shire Council’s Gallerist, Sarah Harvey, said.
“Given the urgency of our climate situation, it is very encouraging to see so many artists exploring ideas around climate change to generate these important conversations,” Ms Harvey said.
“We are very excited to have this project coming to Council’s Lone Goat Gallery in Byron Bay and the opportunity to work with Karla, who is a nationally recognised artist.
“Karla is a Wiradjuri women who has lived on Bundjalung country for many years.
“She has a lived experience of the devastation of natural disasters and the ongoing trauma that results.
“This history directly informs the work she is currently creating.
“Through her large-scale installations, she conveys the urgent ideas of what it means to fight for survival and change in a world hanging by a thread, where shared responsibility for action is crucial,” Ms Harvey said.
Rise and Fall by Karla Dickens, curated by Daniel Mudie Cunningham, and presented by Bondi Pavilion, was proudly commissioned by Waverley Council.
The exhibition will be reimagined for Climate Conversations 2025 and presented at the Lone Goat Gallery in July 2025. Karla is represented by STATION Gallery.
As part of the project, the gallery will present a series of events, talks and workshops to help generate deeper conversations and immersive experiences, highlighting the growing sense of urgency and consciousness to meet climate challenges.