Curatorial Framework: Dark Garden
The incubator is guided by the Dark Garden curatorial framework, which reimagines the garden as a relational, planetary space where humans, more-than-humans, technologies, and environments interact—a shared laboratory for experimentation, co-creation, and future-oriented thinking.
The Dark Garden framework takes inspiration from ecological and participatory thinking, including dark, deep and political ecology, multi-species thinking, and relational art theories, alongside non-Western cultural knowledge and approaches.
Three Conceptual Themes
Your project should engage with one of the following themes:
Inter-Species Relations
Multi-species relations, environmental sensing, and communication between humans and nonhuman systems.
Geographic Imaginaries
Climate migration, environmental displacement, and spatial narratives connecting Indonesia and Australia.
Climate Justice
Indigenous knowledge, environmental sovereignty, disaster politics, and ecological responsibility.
Three Elemental Layers
Your work should explore one of these elemental layers:
water
Fluid systems, hydrological cycles, oceans, rivers, coastal environments, and ecological transformation, lakes and urban waterways. Projects may investigate water ecologies, climate impacts, biological processes, or speculative water futures.
earth
Materiality, land relations, geological materials, landscapes, forests, and ecological knowledge. Artists may work with soil, plants, biomaterials, natural pigments, mycelium, batik, or other material practices to explore environmental resilience, landscape transformation, and planetary relationships.
air
Atmosphere, invisible systems, sound environments, wind and planetary circulation, air and sky, climate processes. Projects may address air quality, atmospheric sensing, or speculative atmospheric futures.
Note: The examples above are not exhaustive for themes and layers. Within all we encourage interest with the fauna and flora of each element – works may explore patterns, tone, textures and forms. Projects may address more than one theme or element, but they should have a clear primary ‘anchor’ theme and element.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on:
Initial concept quality and alignment to climate futures
Overall alignment and quality.
Alignment with curatorial framework
Clear connection to one of the three themes (Inter-Species, Geographic, Climate Justice) and one element (Water, Earth, Air).
Interdisciplinary approach
Capacity to work across disciplines and integrate diverse methodologies.
Potential for community engagement
Demonstrated interest or experience in participatory practice.
Commitment to collaboration and knowledge exchange
Openness to cross-cultural dialogue and collective learning.
Diversity and Access
We encourage applications from emerging artists and artists who face barriers to participation to ensure diverse voices.
Eligibility
To apply, you should:
- Be based in Australia (any state or territory)
- Demonstrate interest in climate issues, ecology, or environmental practice
- Have an interest in or openness to interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary exchange
connecting fields such as art, design, science, technology, research, or community practice - Be willing to participate in hybrid programme with online and in-person activities
- Be committed to Australia–Indonesia collaboration and community-engaged creative practice
- Be available to attend at least 80% of sessions between June–September 2026
- Be able to travel to Yogyakarta from 29 June – 10 August 2026 (Collaborative proposals are strongly encouraged. Artists may apply as individual practitioners or collaborative groups. If you have timing constraints, please note these in your EOI. Only speculative/initial ideas are sought at this stage – artistic concept development will proceed collaboratively through the online incubator in June.)
how to apply
Brief Expression of interest (EOI) Due: 10 April 2026
Full Application Due: 20 April 2026
Selection process: 21–25 April 2026
Announcement: 29 April 2026
Please submit an Expression of Interest here.
Note: due to the compressed timeline EOIs/applications may be assessed prior to due dates so we encourage EOIs to be sent as soon as possible. Full applications will then be invited from selected applicants.