Karma Barnes is a multidisciplinary artist born in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa New Zealand, now based on Bundjalung Country in NSW. Working across installation, sculpture and participatory practice, she creates site-responsive works that explore ecological systems, material memory and transformation through suspended forms, raw pigments and evolving spatial environments.
With her profile rapidly expanding across global platforms, there’s plenty to discover in how her practice has evolved and connected internationally.

If you have ever wondered how objects on screen are made, from hero props to full sets and hyper realistic replicas, chances are someone like Bryce Noakes has been behind the scenes bringing them to life. Bryce is the founder of Trade Arts, a Mullumbimby based studio that transforms creative ideas into physical, camera ready builds for film, exhibitions and brand projects.

In this Q&A, Bryce shares how he found his way into fabrication, what it takes to build complex pieces from the ground up and what it is like running a creative studio outside the major production hubs. It is a rare and fascinating look into a craft most people never get to see.

Esk Studio is a multidisciplined, artist run initiative founded by artists Al Stark and Aviva Reed. Based on Yaegl Country in the Northern Rivers, the studio brings together art, environmental conservation, education and community engagement through a deeply ecological lens. Their collaborative practice weaves together science, myth, landscape and material experimentation, creating work that responds to place as much as it expands on broader ecological conversations.

For this Q&A, we spoke with Aviva Reed, a transdisciplinary visual ecologist and codirector of Esk Studio, whose own practice spans visual art, performance, lecture, and ecological storytelling. Aviva shared insights into how Esk Studio came together, how collaboration shapes their work, and what visitors can expect from their upcoming group exhibition, L U N A R _ B I O M E, opening at the Grafton Regional Gallery on 14 February.

From site-specific installations to collaborative curatorial projects, Byron Coathup has built a practice that blurs the lines between art-making and community-building. Based in Murwillumbah on Bundjalung Country, Byron is both a visual artist and project curator whose work has taken shape across galleries, festivals, and rediscovered public spaces, from Testing Grounds in Melbourne to Gallery HOTA on the Gold Coast, as well as major commissions for Bleach* Festival and the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Alongside his own practice, Byron plays an active role in the region’s creative ecology by working with the local orgs and supporting artists to realise large-scale projects.

For our final Northern Rivers Creative feature of 2025, we are speaking with Kate McDowell about Golden Thursdays. Golden Thursdays is a bold contemporary dance Ensemble led by Alice Boscheinen, Bryn James, Max McAuley, supported by Creative Catalysts Kate McDowell and Stuart Shugg. The company centres and elevates the choreographic voices of neuro-divergent artists, and you may recognise their work from recent performances such as the Tropical Fruits Recovery Day Cabaret and Hidden in the Hinterland’s Halloween Cabaret at the Drill Hall Theatre. Get to know Golden Thursdays from up close!