The Australian: No fan of the royals
:quality(82)/media/news/81972ac9275fa8d3be84b62a1810b7ce-1.jpg)
The Australian: No fan of the royals
By Bronwyn Watson
Karla Dickens had not been born when the Queen visited Australia in 1954, but such was her interest in the monarchy that 60 years after that royal tour she decided to create four artworks and a poem based on the visit. Dickens’s works, all titled Bottom feeder, allude to the English monarchy spreading what Dickens describes as its “sucking tentacles” around the world:
“Noble opportunists / aristocratic sponges / blue-blooded suckers / cold-blooded leeches / self-seeking predators / We welcome you …”
Dickens is a Wiradjuri artist who trained at Sydney’s National Art School and is now based in Lismore in regional NSW. In 2016, her images, along with those of other indigenous artists, lit up the sails of Sydney’s Opera House. She had little money for paint while at art school, so she turned to collage art. She would pick up discarded items on the way to classes and source materials from op shops and the local tip.
Image: Detail from Karla Dickens’s Bottom feeder 1, 2018. Picture: QUT Art Collection.
Latest News
Thursday 09 July 2026
:quality(82)/media/100425_Dobell-Prize_Kristen-Sharpwinner_Rosemary-Lee_001_Peter-Morgan-2048x1477.jpg)
Thursday 09 July 2026
Applications are now open for The 25th Dobell Drawing Prize. The Dobell Drawing Prize is Australia’s leading prize for drawing, and an unparalleled celebration of technique, innovation and expanded practice. 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 dra…
Tuesday 30 June 2026
:quality(82)/media/news/Nick-Collerson-2026_Dithyramb_0384.jpg)
Tuesday 30 June 2026
Please see below for current and forthcoming exhibitions and events featuring our staff and alumni. Dr Carolyn McKenzie-Craig: Becoming Penguin (Act II) Head of Printmaking, Dr Carolyn McKenzie-Craig, presents Becoming Penguin (Act II) at PARKER Contemporary, Brisbane. The exhibition asks what it means to seek protection from a world that continues to decide who is seen, who is suspected, and w…
Thursday 25 June 2026
:quality(82)/media/Michael-Leslie-Image-Credit-James-Brickwood-AFR.jpg)
Thursday 25 June 2026
This NAIDOC Week, the theme Fifty Years of Deadly recognises the enduring strength, resilience and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Fifty Years of Deadly is a tribute to the people who built this movement. The Elders who stood firm, the organisers who made space, the artists who turned resistance into expression, and the communities who keep showing up, year after …