In Conversation with Karla Dickens and Meaghan Holt

Join artist Karla Dickens and Bega Valley local Meaghan Holt for a special public program facilitated by SECCA Gallery Director Janice Falsone, presented alongside Dicken’s exhibition Recovery Mission. Hear about Dickens’ practice and the works and themes explored in her SECCA exhibition and engage with powerful spoken word poetry readings by both Dickens and Holt.

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Saturday 5 September 2026, 11am

Free event. All welcome.

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Karla Dickens' exhibition Recovery Mission is open to public from 5 September – 21 November 2026, read more about the exhibition.

Karla Dickens is an artist of Wiradjuri, Irish and German heritage, living and working in Goonellabah, Lismore, on Bundjalung Country in NSW with a multidisciplinary practice spanning painting, photography, video, collage, sculpture and installation. Her exhibition at SECCA is powerful exploration of climate crisis from a First Nations perspective, offering a poignant commentary on resilience and the fight for a better future. Central to Dickens’s practice is an interrogation of the legacies of colonialism, capitalism and patriarchy, and their effects on post-contact First Nations experiences and the natural world. Described as a ‘found-object’ virtuoso, her practice often places overlooked or discarded objects into new contexts to interrogate Australian culture, contest histories and agitate for change. Dickens has exhibited throughout Australia and abroad since the early 1990s. Dickens’ work is held in major collections including the National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia, National Portrait Gallery, National Art School, Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, Australian Museum, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia, Art Gallery of Western Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, among others. Karla Dickens is represented by STATION.

Meaghan Holt, who has previously performed as Sassi Nuyum, is a Bega Valley-based poet and performer who was born on Gunai/Kurnai Country. Meaghan says her mother's spirit guides her writing, alongside her very large bloodline of ancestors, and that her writing can pack a punch. Holt is a published poet and recipient of the 2019 Aboriginal Writers Retreat Mentorship who has done numerous public performances including at the Festival of Open Minds, Giiyong Festival and the National Folk Festival. She is a poet, performer and soul travelling life's road with compelling insight and honest creativity that rises above the barriers that can sometimes block cultural understanding and open conversation. Guided by her ancestors, Country and spirit, her work channels the hurt, pain and resilience of her own background and that of her peoples in ways that open minds, hearts and shared understanding. Her creative practice reflects an ongoing re-emergence of sovereignty and a deepening connection to culture, Country and self.

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Please note, this event may be documented with photography. Resulting images may be used for promotional, marketing, or archival purposes, including publication on our website, social media, and other platforms. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please let our event staff know on arrival.

Images left: Karla Dickens. Photo by Michelle Eabry. Image right: Meaghan Holt. Photo by David Rogers.