Summary

Debbie Symons’ works have been shown internationally by The International Urban Screen Association, The Streaming Museum, New York and Galerie Prodromus, Paris. Locally, Symons’ has exhibited her works at [MARS] Gallery, Craft Victoria, Linden New Art, RMIT Gallery,
Latrobe Regional Gallery. Her works are held in several private collections in Australia. She recently completed a residency at Billilla Historic Mansion. In 2018, Symons was invited to participate in LABVERBE, an art and science residency held at the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve, Amazon rainforest, Manaus.

Upcoming Exhibitions, Residencies and Seminars

Research paper in From the Indian Ocean, edited by Camila Maissune, (Mozambique), Co-edited and Art Directed by visual artist Paulo Arraiano, (Portugal).
Light Box Lane exhibition, Wonthaggi Community Art Centre, Bass Coast Shire. November 2024
Finalist – Northern Beaches 2024, Environmental Art & Design Prize, Manly Art Gallery & Museum.

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

2023 Bayside Local, Finalist, Bayside Gallery, Melbourne
2023 Listening Earth, Stephen McLaughlan Gallery, Melbourne
2022 Room to Reverse, Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery, Ringwood.
2022 Waterhouse Natural Science Prize Touring exhibition, National Archives of Australia Canberra
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

C-PLATFORM, Debbie Symons, Editorial review. 15 July 2022
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

2022 Fragile Earth: Extinction Symposium – Panel member, Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale, VIC
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)