Karma Barnes

Background

About Karma Barnes

I am an interdisciplinary artist from Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa-New Zealand, currently living and working on Bundjalung Country, Northern Rivers, Australia. My practice encompasses large-scale immersive and durational installations, incorporating sculptural forms, suspended paintings, and participatory art practices. My work often involves collaborative installations that engage the public and utilize site-responsive materials to explore connections between land history, biomimicry, human interaction, and ecological crises. I am particularly interested in understanding how individuals and environments adapt to shifting conditions, focusing on the potential to transform adversity through collective resilience and creative connection. As an early-career contemporary artist, I am establishing a reputation on the international stage. My exhibitions include the Arte Laguna Prize Finalist Exhibition, Venice; Relative Terrains at Grafton & Lismore Regional Galleries, Australia; New Mexico State University Art Museum, USA; and Tocca la Terra at MACRO ASILO Museum of Contemporary Art, Rome. I also work as an arts educator and facilitator, delivering public programs both in Australia at regional galleries and internationally at institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Rome. I have designed and delivered extensive programs and contributed to community recovery projects both in Australia and Timor-Leste. I am a professionally registered ANZACATA Art Therapist. In my therapeutic work, I engage with diverse populations and specialize in supporting adolescents, particularly those navigating trauma and mental health challenges. I use creative and expressive art therapy approaches, combined with counseling, positive psychology, and mindfulness-based practices, to help young people make sense of their life experiences and achieve positive changes. I have extensive experience working with young people in the foster care system, in trauma-informed and clinical mental health settings and with individuals with acquired brain injuries. Currently, I operate a private practice, Art Therapy Northern Rivers. Additionally I coordinate both the Art Access Program (for neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ young people) and the Arthaus Program for Byron Youth Service I have worked extensively with various organizations and providers, including Queensland Health, Byron Youth Service, Family and Community Services, Juvenile Justice, Gold Coast Health, UPA Youth Care, Willowbank Studios, CASPA, Medicare Local NT, and Autism Camp Australia.