Karla Dickens

Painting (Painting)

Karla Dickens’s collage Beneath the skim board addresses issues of discrimination and racism towards Indigenous communities in Australia through a constellation of historical and current events. Dickens spent over a year collecting and modifying ubiquitous objects into sculptural collages that commemorate former circus performers of Indigenous Australian descent. Assembled from various fabrics, knick-knacks and other materials, these frenetic compositions celebrate the campy glamour of circus performers, but also articulates the hidden mistreatment experienced by the performers, and more broadly, the lives of Indigenous communities in Australia.