First Nations exhibitions opening at the gallery

Powerful artworks by renowned Wiradjuri artist, Karla Dickens, will be on display alongside several First Nations exhibitions due to open at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery in Nowra this weekend.  

Dickens’ new work Criminalised will be displayed alongside an existing work, Return to Sender, as part of her solo exhibition Resist the System, opening at the Gallery on 24 May.  

“It’s an incredible privilege to be able to display Karla Dickens’ evocative work at the Gallery and we are excited to share it with the Shoalhaven community,” said Gallery Director, Zanny Begg.  

“We are also lucky to have such a wealth of talented, local First Nations artists and we look forward to displaying several of their thought-provoking works over the coming weeks,” Ms Begg said.   

Dickens’ Criminalised, challenges the criminalisation of young Aboriginal children. The seven portraits depict First Nations children from Dickens’ neighbourhood on Bundjalung Country in NSW, wearing balaclavas sewn and decorated by the award-winning artist. 

Return to Sender confronts racist messages and imagery from postcards picturing First Nations people from the turn of last Century.  

Her work has been included in the Biennale of Sydney, the Asia Pacific Triennial and numerous prestigious exhibitions in Australia and around the world.  

The work of multidisciplinary artist and winner of the Gallery’s inaugural First Nations exhibition, Nicole Smede, will also open on May 24.  

The Warrimay and Irish woman won the coveted exhibition with her project Bagandha yanggamba-ngga – ‘Country sings in me,’ produced on Wadi Wadi Dharawal Country.  

Ms Smede’s work explores what it means to be ‘of Country’ through voice, song, sound and poetry.  

Her artwork was selected following an Expression of Interest (EOI) process advertised by the gallery in August 2024, which put the call out for talented artists with a strong connection to the Shoalhaven to showcase their work.  

The prize also included a mentorship from Karla Dickens.  

Local Aboriginal visual artist Jaz Corr’s work Woven will also be exhibited at the gallery.  

The Dharawal woman brought her artistic vision to life as part of Council’s first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).   

Ms Corr held workshops across the region to produce a communal painting that serves as a powerful symbol of Aboriginal identity.   

For more information about exhibitions and events visit the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery website.