C O N T E M P O R A R Y C O N C E P T U A L A R T I S T
I N S T A L L A T I O N | P A I N T I N G | P A R T I C I P A T O R Y | S O C I A L P R A C T I C E
B U N D J A L U N G C O U N T R Y / N O R T H E R N R I V E R S / A U S T R A L I A / A O T E A R O A - N E W Z E A L A N D
A R T T H E R A P Y N O R T H E R N R I V E R S | A R T S E D U C T I O N & M E N T O R I N G
Co-Lapses was exhibited at the prestigious Arte Laguna Prize in Venice, Italy, as part of the 18th and 19th editions' finalists' exhibition. Displayed at the historic Arsenale Nord, this large-scale, site-specific installation captivated audiences with its blend of ancient sculptural traditions and contemporary 3D imaging technologies. The work features ten elegant, organically-shaped pods suspended in a constellation from the ceiling. Each clay and pigment vessel holds fine sand mixed with local Italian pigments, which periodically release slender streams of coloured sand. Over time, these streams form ten miniature peaks on the floor, symbolizing humanity's enduring connection to the land.
Drawing inspiration from the interplay of natural processes and human agency, Co-Lapses explores themes of time, chance, and collective resilience. The use of industrial pigments, traditionally employed in Venetian architecture, highlights the interconnectedness of cultural and environmental narratives. As a durational piece, it acts as a living map of transformation, inviting viewers to reflect on the profound bonds between bodies, landscapes, and history. Barnes’ participation in the Arte Laguna Prize was made possible through the generous support of the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund.
Everything is Made of Everything Else
Art Research and Installation Project
Unidee Residency Program
Cittadellarte- Fondazione Pistoletto
Biella, Italy
Nov - Dec 2024
Everything is Made of Everything Else is an art research and installation project by Karma Barnes at Cittadellarte-Fondazione Pistoletto, Italy, exploring themes of hope, compassion, and interdependence in response to climate change. Inspired by the principles of the Third Paradise, the project invites refection on resilience, personal responsibility, and the potential for transforming adversity through empathy and collective strength.
Founded in 1996 by Arte Povera artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, Cittadellarte investigates and supports creative interface of the arts with sustainable practices and the natural environment. While there, Barnes immersed herself in the philosophy of The Third Paradise – a concept developed by Pistoletto advocating for harmony of nature, humanity, and technology. Using positive approaches through the arts, education, politics, spirituality, nutrition, and economics
Landmark Acquisition: Karma Barnes'
Climatic Artworks join the
NMSU Art Museum Collection
New Mexico State University Art Museum
Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA.
RELATIVE TERRAINS 2023
Lismore Regional Offsite Gallery
Hosted by Grafton Regional Gallery
16 Sept - 12 Nov 2023
Karma Barnes and Robért Franken
The Relative Terrains exhibition was scheduled for January 2023 at the Lismore Regional Gallery but with the heartbreaking damage to the gallery during the devastating floods earlier this year the Grafton Regional Gallery has snapped up the opportunity to house the show along with a number of other displaced exhibitions.
Relative Terrains maps the dramatic shifts in our environmental cycles and how this informs our internal and external experiences. The work traverses the geological terrain and volcanic landscapes of the Northern Rivers and explores how we, the inhabitants of the land, form and change with the forces of the elements, time and life experiences. The exhibition artworks will include a series of large-scale installations and suspended paintings produced in a range of mediums including local pigments.
Grafton Regional Gallery, NSW, Australia
Exhibition 16 September – 12 November 2023
Public Program 17 August Lismore Regional Gallery
Public Program 7 October Grafton Regional Gallery
COMPOUNDED CALDERA
WILD PIGMENT PROJECT
New Mexico State University Art Museum,
Las Cruses,
New Mexico, USA 2023
Form & Concept,
Santa Fe,
New Mexico, USA 2022.
Our human experience is composed of compounded responses. The artwork draws parallels between our relationships with each other and our connection to place. Compounded Caldera is a moment in time where bush fires, droughts, floods and an ongoing pandemic have ravaged our community in Northern New South Wales, Australia with little moment to exhale a breath before the next pressing moments of concerns take centre stage. The impacts of climate change have moved from subtle shifts and perturbations towards more obvious and compounding climatic events.
Form & Concept,
September 17 to December 23, 2022
NMSU Art Museum
Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
June 22-September 16, 2023.
Tocca La Terra
Imagine the Land Project
MACRO Asilo
Museum of Contemporary Art Rome, Italy.
The Environmental and Participatory Art Installation Projects recent colossal size works from soils and pigments of Rome at the MACRO Asilo, Contemporary Art Gallery of Rome, Italy.
Imagine the Land Project collaborators Karma Barnes and Ekarasa Doblanovich were invited by curator Giorgio de Finis to exhibit their installation Tocca La Terra as part of the MACRO Asilo (“Hospitable Museum”) Project. Tocca la Terra (Touch the Earth). The work was created in collaboration with viewers at the MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art Rome, Italy.
Tocca la Terra was composed from Italian local soils, hand-gathered by Barnes and Doblanovic from the regional landscapes of Rome and Tuscany. These soils were ground by the artists into fine pigments and transformed into a 18m long art installation, filling one of the MACRO exhibition halls.
