Group exhibition: Coral Futures

This exhibition presents a range of poetic and speculative responses to coral. These small marine animals form the foundations of healthy reef ecologies, now facing unprecedented, existential threats from human-induced climate change. Coral Futures brings together new and recent projects by First Nations and other contemporary Australian artists, considering coral’s importance to the survival of vital marine ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef, as well as its implications for broader cultural, economic, and environmental systems.

Coral has long been considered the “canary down the coal mine” of climate change, due to its susceptibility to rising ocean temperatures, weather events like cyclones, and agricultural run-off. These impacts manifest as increasingly frequent and severe coral bleaching, destruction by crown-of-thorns starfish, and related mass die-offs, making the species one of the most visible victims of the climate crisis.

Curated by Hamish Sawyer and presented in partnership with Linden New Art, Melbourne.