Curriculum Vitae

Upcoming Exhibitions, Residencies and Seminars

• Waterhouse Natural Science Prize Touring exhibition, National Archives of Australia Canberra
• Fragile Earth: Extinction Symposium – Panel member, Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale, VIC
• Research paper in From the Indian Ocean, edited by Camila Maissune, (Mozambique), Co-edited and Art Directed by visual artist Paulo Arraiano, (Portugal).

Solo Exhibitions

• 2021 Sing, Bayside Gallery, Brighton, VIC
• 2020 The Butterfly Effect, ZAZ10TS, Urban Screen and Gallery, Times Square, New York City, USA
• 2019 Counting One to Four: Nature morte, SDNow, RMIT University, Melbourne.
  
• 2017 Debbie Symons – Heritage Hill Residency Exhibition, Harmony Square Exhibition Windows, Dandenong, VIC
• 2015 Counting One to Four: Nature morte, Galerie Prodromus, Paris.
• 2015 Counting One to Four: Nature morte, Federation Square, Melbourne.
• 2015 Counting One to Four: Atmosphere, Linden New Art, St Kilda.
• 2015 The Politics of Perception, Latrobe Regional Gallery, Morwell.
• 2015 Amazonia, MARS Gallery, Windsor.
• 2014 Trade, Linden Innovators, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, St Kilda.
• 2013 PhD Exhibition, Urban Screen, Federation Square, Melbourne.
• 2011 Tracking (Antarctica), Urban Screen, Federation Square, Melbourne.
• 2011 Making Sense, Craft Victoria, Melbourne.
• 2011 Arrivals and Departures, Trocadero Art Space, Footscray.
• 2010 Profits/Populations–It’s all Numbers (Amazon Rainforest), Urban Screen, Federation Square, Melbourne.
• 2009 World Species Market, 2009, 10 Urban Screens, Global Exhibition.
• 2009 World Species Market, 2008 Urban Screen, Federation Square, Melbourne.
• 2009 Losing the Unique, Shifted Gallery, Richmond, Victoria.
• 2009 Inside the Realm of Invisible Spheres, C3 Contemporary Art Space, Abbotsford Convent.

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2022 Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, South Australia Museum. Highly Commended
• 2022 The Nature of the Future, Leu Art Gallery, Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee USA
• 2021 Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize 2021, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, NSW
• 2021 Biosphere, curated by Felicity Spear, Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
• 2021 Steph Hodgins-May Art Auction, Brightspace Art Gallery, St Kilda, VIC
• 2021 Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize 2021, Manly Art Gallery & Museum
• 2021 Biosphere, curated by Felicity Spear, Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne, VIC.
• 2021 Beyond Words, Streaming Museum and World Council of Peoples for the United Nations, Online Exhibition to mark COP 26 UN’s Climate Change Conference, Glasgow
• 2021 Floating Land, Noosa Regional Gallery, QLD
• CMCC Climate Change Communication Award “Rebecca Ballestra”, finalist, Lecce, Italy
• 2021 Biodiversity, in.cube8r Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC.
• 2020 Linden Postcard Show, Linden New Art, St Kilda, VIC
• 2020 Art Aid Gippsland, Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale, VIC
• 2020 Small Mercies, River Studios, West Melbourne, VIC
• 2019 Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize, Gordon, NSW
• 2019 Parallel Universe, curated by Felicity Spear, Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne
• 2018 Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, Finalist, South Australian Museum, SA
• 2017 Artist in Residency Exhibition, Heritage Hill, Dandenong
• 2017 Fossil – a slow-acting violence, Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne
• 2017 Ocean Imaginaries, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne part of ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE, 2017
• 2017 Digital – The World of Alternative Worlds, Justin Art House Museum, Prahran, VIC
• 2016 John Fries Award, Finalist, UNSW Galleries, NSW
• 2016 Sign o’ the Times, NotFair Art Fair, 524 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC
• 2016 Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, Finalist, South Australian Museum, SA
• 2016 Melbourne Central Art Loop curated by [MARS] Gallery, Melbourne
• 2016 Group Exhibition, Galerie Prodromus, Paris
• 2015 CCP Salon, Centre for Contemporary Photography, Fitzroy
• 2015 Planetary – A View From the Cloud, Counting One to Four: Nature morte, Streaming Museum and World Council of Peoples for the United Nations. Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York City.
• 2015 The Catchments Project, Creative Spaces: Carlton Connect Studio, LAB-14, Carlton for CLIMARTE’s Festival: Art+Climate=Change, 2015
• 2014 The Incinerator Art Award – Art for Social Change, Incinerator Gallery, Moonee Ponds
• 2014 The River Derwent Heavy Metals Project, MONA, Tasmania. Symons’ was a member of an interdisciplinary team of artists, architects and scientists that developed a major architectural project for MONA.
• 2014 Linden Art Prize, Prize winner, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, St Kilda
• 2013 WWF Earth Hour Creative Arts Award, Finalist, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
• 2012 Re-Imagining the Global: Culture & Climate Change, Monash University, Caulfield
• 2012 Us & Them – Umwelten, RMIT Project Space Spare Room, Carlton, VIC
• 2012 Albury Digital Art Outdoor Gallery, Q-View, Albury, NSW
• 2011 Imagining the Future 2112, RMIT Gallery, Melbourne
• 2011 Albury Digital Art Outdoor Gallery, QEII Square, Albury, NSW
• 2010 Williamstown Festival Contemporary Art Prize, Finalist, The Substation, Williamstown
• 2009 Linden Postcard Show, Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts, St Kilda
• 2008 The Secret Life of Numbers – The 2008 Ellen Mileo Contemporary Art Prize – Finalist. 69 Smith Street Gallery, Collingwood
• 2008 30x30x30 Staff & Students of the Faculty of Art & Design, Monash University Faculty Gallery

Publications

 

• Art Guide, Floating Land: at the edge of ideas. Andrew Stephens, Review. 8 Oct 2021
• Art Almanac, Floating Land: at the edge of ideas. Editorial review. 5 Oct 2021
• Vault, Australasian Art & Culture, Issue 35, 2021. Review: Floating Land: At the Edge of Ideas, Kim Guthrie
  
• Noosa Today Floating Land to raise environmental awareness through art. Review. 24 August 2021
• Centerpoint Now, “Are we there yet?” World Council of Peoples for the United Nations, 75th Edition, 2021.
• Public Art Magazine (Korea), Environment Climate and Art, Yang Hwa-sun, March 2020
• Montagnino, F. (2020), Beyond the ‘Great Derangement: Will the Humanities Lead Ecological Transition?, Formica, P. and Edmondson, J. (Ed.) Innovation and the Arts: The Value of Humanities Studies for Business, Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 111-142.
• In Tandem, A Short Essay on Parallel Universe, Dr Peter Hill, April 2019
• LABverde 2018, Immersion program in the Amazon, Catalogue, Dec 2018
• The Article, A Fossilised Future, Sam Leach, 24th August 2017
• RMIT Gallery, Ocean Imaginaries Catalogue, Professor Linda Williams, May 2017
• JAHM, Digital: The World of Alternative Worlds, Professor Tim Flannery, exhibition catalogue, February 2017
• Digital Research in the Humanities and Arts, University of Brighton, UK. 7th September 2016
• Monash News, New York exhibition for MADA Artist, Website Editor, 9th September 2015
• The Lifted Brow, The Shape of Things to Come, Sophie Allan, 23rd June 2015
• Our Relationship with Nature, Precious….My Precious, Victoria Osborne, May 2015
• ArtsHub The Politics of Perception, Mem Capp, 14th April 2015
• Art Almanac, Jasmine Targett and Debbie Symons The Politics of Perception, Editorial Review, April 2015
• The Age, Melbourne artists line up 1000 clear bottles for The Catchments Project,   Suzanne Carbone, April 4, 2015
• The Leader, New Carlton arts studio generating creative ideas for a sustainable solution, Toby Prime, March 28, 2015
• The Art Collector, Debbie Symons: Amazonia, Website Editor, 27^th January 2015
• The Arts Show, Amazonia – Debbie Symons, Alex McCulloch, 20^th January 2015
• Artlink, The Artworld and the Paradox of Sustainability, Robert Nelson, Issue 43, no.4, December 2014
• Artlink, Debbie Symons: Drawn to our attention, Kit Wise, Issue 43, no.4, December 2014
• Berichte Zur Wissenschafts-Geschichte, From Biodiversity to Biodiversification: A New Economy of Nature?, Sabine Hohler, Volume 37, Issue 1, 2014.
• Monash University Newsletter, MADA Graduates dominate the 2014 Linden Art Prize, Editor, February 26, 2014
• The Age, Space: Around the galleries, Dylan Rainforth, February 26, 2014
• The Age, The State of Reimagined Fates, Andrew Stephens, January 14, 2012
• The Age, Apocalyptic Visions Meet Utopian Vistas, Dr. Robert Nelson, January 11, 2012
• Melbourne Art Critic, The Future @ RMIT, Mark Holsworth, January 12, 2012
• 2112 Imagining the Future Catalogue, Contemporary Art as Futuristic Fiction – All that is Solid Melts into Air, Professor Linda Williams, 2011
• Beyond Zero Emissions, Beyond Zero talks to artists Debbie Symons & Jasmine Targett on the collaboration between artists and scientist to look at the view of climate change., October 2011
• Carbon Arts, Making Sense Debbie Symons and Jasmine Targett, 2011
• Artabase, Debbie Symons uses video art to highlight endangered animal species, Artabase Blog, January 31, 2011
• SymbioticA – Adaptation, Biodiversity Art Online Showcase – Debbie Symons, Adaptation Blog, November 21, 2010
• ArtLink, Changing Climates. Editor Stephanie Britton. Dec –Feb 2010 edition
• The Age, The Bells Tolls for Species around the Globe and the terrible truth can be charted at Fed Square, Dr. Robert Nelson. June 9, 2009
• Melbourne Jeweller, Losing the Unique at Shifted, K.Thompson. September 18, 2009
• Melbourne Jeweller, Inside the Realm of Invisible Spheres at c3 Contemporary Art Space. K.Thompson, July 16, 2009

Awards, Grants & Residencies

• 2021 Highly Commended, Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Prize 2021, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, NSW
• 2020 – 2021 Bayside Artist Studio at Billilla Historic Mansion
• 2020 James Cook University Residency, College of Science and Engineering, Cairns.
• 2019 Copyright Agency, CREATE Cultural Fund Grant
• 2018 LABVERDE Residency, Manaus, Amazon Rainforest, Brazil
• 2017 Art / Politics / Action Artist Intensive, A Centre for Everything, Melbourne part of CLIMARTE’s Festival: Art+Climate=Change, 2017
• 2017 Heritage Hill Residency, Dandenong City Council, Dandenong, VIC
• 2015 Vic Arts Grant, Creative Victoria.
• 2015 The Catchments Project, Residency at Creative Spaces: Carlton Connect Studio,  LAB-14, Melbourne VIC ~ Funded by the City of Melbourne for CLIMARTE’s Festival: Art + Climate = Change 2015 (Feb-June).
• 2014 Linden Art Prize – Awarded the [MARS] Gallery prize
• 2010 & 2011 Australian Postgraduate Scholarship Award Monash University
• 2010 Monash University Travel Grant $3000
• 2009 New Work, Emerging Artist Grant, Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council for the Arts
• 2009, 2010 & 2011 Monash University Research Publication Grant
• 2008 Letter of Commendation from the Board of Examiners, Faculty of Art & Design, Monash University

Professional Related Experience

• 2021 Feeling Data, Experimenta, Presenter
• 2021 Art and Science: Communication and Collaboration panel discussion, Bayside Gallery
• 2021 MPavilion MTALKS Art as Action: Ecology, Resilience & Sustainability. 
• 2019 – 2021 Associate, School of Art, College of Design and Social Context, RMIT University
• 2019 Tutor, Art Enterprise Workshop, Sculpture, School of Art, RMIT University
• 2019 Judging Panel, OptiKA, Kingston Arts Photographic Art Prize, Moorabbin
• 2019 Presenter SDNow, Asia-Pacific conference about design, strategy, ethics, and futures, hosted by RMIT University, Melbourne
• 2018 – 2021 Lecturer, Masters of Design, MADA, Monash University
• 2018 Tutor, Data Exploration and Visualisation, Faculty of IT, Monash University
• 2017 Judging Panel, Burrinja’s Climate Change Biennale, Burrinja Gallery, Upwey
• 2017 Presenter, Data Politics and Automated Aesthetics Workshop. Hosted by the Institute for Culture and Society Digital Life research program, Western Sydney University
• 2016 Presenter, TWO CULTURES: A forum on global cultural collaborations with art & science. Hosted by Asialink & The Carlton Connect Initiative, Melbourne University
• 2015 – 2017 ASLEC – ANZ Secretary.
• 2015 Presenter, The Historical Roots of an Emerging Practice: Art and Sustainability. Hosted by Perceptive Power RMIT Design Hub
• 2014 Presenter, Meet the Artist. Hosted by Linden Gallery, Nite Art and Melbourne Now, NGV.
• 2014 Presenter, Affective Habitus: New Environmental Histories of Botany, Zoology and Emotions 5th ASLEC-ANZ Biennial Conference, Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University, Canberra.
• 2013 Presenter, On Species: Narrative, Indigeneity, Ecology, Afterlife. Symposium hosted by the School of Culture and Communication, Melbourne University.
• 2012 Presenter, Westspace on Sustainability and the Arts, Westspace. Hosted by the City of Melbourne and CLIMARTE.
• 2012 Presenter, Sustainability and the Arts Workshop, SIGNAL. Hosted by the City of Melbourne and CLIMARTE.
• 2011 to 2013, Student Representative, Committee of Graduate Studies, Monash University.
• 2011 Participant, Tipping Point. Melbourne.
• 2010 Presenter, Environmental Change – Cultural Change. Symposium hosted by ASLE-UK, EASLCE, I-SEE and Bath University U.K.
• 2008 to 2012, Research with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
• 2008 to 2009, Research and development with the International Urban Screens Association.
• 2004 to 2007, Project assisted for the Lighthouse Foundation Gallery Auction.

Published Writings

• 2014 Anthropocentrism, Endangered Species and the Environmental Dilemma in Eco-Critical Connections

Education

• 2014 Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Art and Design, Monash University.
• 2008 Graduate Certificate in Visual Arts – Monash University.
• 1992 Bachelor of Fine Arts – Painting, Victoria College Prahran.
• 1989 Advanced Certificate of Art and Design, Box Hill College of Technical and Further Education.

Selected Professional Memberships

• AEGIS Research Cluster
• Synapse – The Australian Network for Art & Technology ANAT
• The Association for the Study of Literature, Environment and Culture, Australia and New Zealand (ASLEC-ANZ)