Regional Arts Triennial #3 Great Southern Exhibition

Radical Futures: Fertile Ground 

Curator: Saira Spencer

Great Southern Regional Arts Triennial exhibition Radical Futures: Fertile Ground interprets the themes of lead Curator Sarah Roots’ brief Radical Futures through a scorched lens. 

By interrogating Great Southern communities’ relationship with bushfire and prescribed burning, the exhibition invites artists and audiences to imagine a future where fire is no longer feared in Great Southern communities, and is instead bravely accepted as a part of rural and regional life.

Curated by Denmark-based emerging artist and Curator Saira Ellen K. Spencer, Radical Futures: Fertile Ground features five artists and three artist teams. The Great Southern creative community is represented by Carly Le Cerf & Jean-Michel Maujean, Jo Wassell & Samala Ghosh, Rachel Falls Williams, Freya Joy Parre and Ruth Maddren. Joining them is newly-formed Margaret River-based Artist collective CYCAD, Helen Seiver from Bunbury and Peter Hill, based in Northcliffe.

Image of Curator, Saira Spencer. Credit: Bo Wong

Saira was prompted to explore this issue in response to the ongoing conflicts on this topic within her local community. By empathetically critiquing the innumerable perspectives on fire, her intention is to highlight the capacity and importance of both collective and individual responsibility in cultivating a brightly-burning, fire-filled future, using Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices as a guiding light.

In doing so, Saira hopes to draw attention to the shared desires held by Great Southern communities; especially with regard to protecting, preserving and nurturing what we collectively consider valuable: our environment, our communities and our sense of identity.

Finally, by acknowledging and validating the grief, loss and fear that is too-often experienced when you live on fire-threatened country Radical Futures: Fertile Ground invites artists and audiences alike to do the same so that we may move beyond those losses toward a fire-filled, fearless future.

Radical Futures: Fertile Ground opens Friday 12th December 2025 until 17th January 2026 at Albany Town Hall. This exhibition is supported by the City of Albany and Denmark Arts.