KARLA DICKENS

b. 1967, Australia

Karla Dickens Biography

Cross-cultural Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens brings a black humour to her unflinching interrogation of subjects such as identity, gender politics, spiritualism and the environment.

Born in Sydney on Gadigal Country, Dickens studied at the National Art School, graduating with a primary focus on painting and collage. Described as a ‘found-object’ virtuoso, her visual language is often characterised by cross motifs, text and beading on painted canvas surfaces.

In her assemblages, photographic, sculptural, and video installations, Dickens’ works are made to bear witness. Dickens invites us to join her, to review and re-engage with stories and histories that cannot be forgotten

Karla Dickens Pricing / Available Works

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Representative Artworks

Karla Dickens, To see or not to see (2022) (installation view). Commissioned with funds provided by the Barbara Tribe Bequest 2022. Courtesy © Karla Dickens. Photo: © Art Gallery New South Wales, Diana Panuccio.
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Karla Dickens, A Dickensian Circus (2020). Exhibition view: NIRIN, 22nd Biennale of Sydney, Grand Courts, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (14 March–8 June 2020). Courtesy Biennale of Sydney. Photo: Zan Wimberley.
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Karla Dickens, A Dickensian Country Show (2020). Exhibition view: 2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Monster Theatres, Adelaide (29 February–2 August 2020). Courtesy Adelaide Biennial. Photo: Saul Steed.
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Karla Dickens,A Dickensian Circus (2020). Exhibition view: NIRIN, 22nd Biennale of Sydney, Grand Courts, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (14 March–8 June 2020). Courtesy Biennale of Sydney. Photo: Zan Wimberley.
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Represented By

STATION contemporary art gallery in Melbourne Australia

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Karla Dickens in Ocula Magazine

Spotlight Sydney Contemporary 2023: Advisory Selections Sydney Contemporary returns to Carriageworks for its seventh edition, bringing a stellar display of the best in Australian and international contemporary art.

Spotlight Must-See Events at Melbourne's Rising Festival Misong Kim and Tim Stone From 7 to 18 June, Naarm (Melbourne) hosts RISING festival. Highlights include unmissable artworks by Julian Rosefeldt, Wu Tsang, and Geumhyung Jeong, and an immersive exhibition by 30 First Peoples artists and collectives.

Adrian Villar Rojas Creates Otherworldly Installation for AGNSW Tank Commission

News Adrián Villar Rojas Creates Otherworldly Installation for AGNSW Tank Commission Misong Kim The new commission is a standout feature of the Sydney Modern Project, an AU $344 million dollar expansion to the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) that opens on 3 December.

News Blak Douglas Wins Australia's Archibald Prize 2022 Sam Gaskin Claus Stangl’s portrait of Taika Waititi won the Packing Room Prize, which is chosen by staff who receive, unpack, and hang works by the Archibald Prize finalists.

News Who Is Ramsay Art Prize Winner Kate Bohunnis? Sam Gaskin The South Australian sculptor won AU $100,000 for her work ‘Edges of Excess’.

News Art Gallery of New South Wales Turns 150 Sam Gaskin Celebrations include projections on the Sydney Opera House, an Archibald Prize retrospective, and the Sydney Modern Project expansion.

Conversation Karla Dickens: ‘the more you know the rules, the more fun it is to break them’ Emma-Kate Wilson Karla Dickens is an artist with Wiradjuri heritage working with abandoned materials imbued with history and contextual meaning to create mixed‑media installations.

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