Artist Karla Dickens turned her life around in Australia’s ‘best jail’

Artist Karla Dickens turned her life around in Australia’s ‘best jail’

Article: Linda Morris
Image: James Alcock

Financial necessity first drove artist Karla Dickens to take up collage and sculpture for which she is now best known.

A trained painter from the National Art School, Dickens could not afford the oils and canvases to keep painting so began using found and recycled items to give vent to her frustrations around gender politics and racial injustice.

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Facture – the manner in which something is made
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Join us Saturday 12 April for the 2025 Drawing Symposium at the National Art School, presented by the National Centre for Drawing. Featuring a diverse range of national and international speakers, as well as associated performances and exhibitions, this event is held in conjunction with the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize. The symposium will explore the theme of Facture, a concept that emphasises an artwork’s tangible reality as an intentionally crafted object, linking the act of creation directly to its physical presence. Considering an artwork in terms of its facture reveals it as a record of the artist’s decisions, methods, and materials. Discussions will examine how this concept enriches our understanding of drawing and aligns with contemporary and interdisciplinary approaches to art-making. 
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Learn more and buy tickets at the link in bio.
Opening night and winner announcement: 24th Dobell Drawing Prize  Join us on Thursday 10 April for the opening night of the 24th Dobell Drawing Prize, Australia’s leading prize for drawing, and an unparalleled celebration of technique, innovation and expanded practice. The winner will be announced at 6:30pm.  Presented at the National Art School in partnership with the Sir William Dobell Art Foundation, this biennial exhibition continues to highlight the enduring relevance and changing role of drawing within contemporary art practice. The winning work enters the National Art School’s significant collection, built over the past 120 years.  This 24th edition is curated by Lucy Latella and showcases the work of 56 finalists, selected from 965 nationwide entries by judging panel Vernon Ah Kee, Dr Yolunda Hickman and Paula Latos-Valier AM.  RSVP at the link in bio.
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