Kezia Michela D.

visual artist and cultural worker

portfolio

selected Digital artwork

selected Traditional artwork

• PDF Document

About

Kezia is a multidisciplinary artist, cultural worker and emerging producer dedicated to advocating for and supporting emerging creatives. She has been active in the local arts scene for four years working towards revealing and creating more opportunities for young artists to showcase their incredible skill and creativity. She has held roles as an art workshop facilitator, art exhibition curator, event producer and project coordinator.↓ EXTENDED BIO ↓Kezia's first project was in the final year of her Bachelor of Arts when she curated the Home Turf: Adventures in Art Lightbox Exhibition for City of Darwin as part of Youth Week in 2021.Since then, Kezia has been the leading producer for Geektacular 2023 and 2024, and remained a part of the team in 2025 as the Producer Mentor.She produced the Incubator - Zine & Digital Art Fair for Darwin Fringe Incorporated in 2023 and their annual Secret Art exhibition for young local artists in 2023 and 2024. She has joined the team again for 2025 through the NXT Gen ARTS grant for professional development.Kezia was the Emerging Producer for the micro-festival MAGNIFY 2024 for City of Darwin's LAUNCH youth program and MAGNT and is the Producer Mentor for MAGNIFY 2025.She was also the Project Coordinator for You Matter: a collection by young Darwin artists a mental well-being colouring book project by LAUNCH Darwin.Kezia is additionally one of the masterminds behind the young artist collective Darwin Emerging Creatives, formed in February 2024.
To read about DEC click on the 'Projects' button!

Darwin Emerging Creatives

Darwin Emerging Creatives is a creative arts collective designed to promote and raise awareness of our vibrant young artist community. The masterminds behind DEC want to create a supportive space to pursue artistic passions and keep young creatives in touch with the latest opportunities and events in our local art scene.

DEC's logo was designed in June 2023 by Kezia. However, the symbols and colour palette for DEC's logo were a group decision. The Kurrajong flower is Darwin's offical floral emblem, and the dragonfly heralds our dry season which tends to be the busiest time of year for the arts. The colours selected for DEC reflect the collective's motto to be ambitious, be courageous, be passionate, and grow!

Kezia Michela D., Floral Flow, February 2024, Digital illustration (Krita)
I wanted Darwin Emerging Creatives’ banner to be organic and continuous and to link to the kurrajong flowers in the logo. And this is how DEC's first mascot, Wren, was created.

Bookwyrm

In reader culture, book dragons collect and horde books more often than they read them, whereas bookworms devour novels voraciously without obsessively building a personal library. My friend likes to joke that I’m a bookwrym because I do both, so this work is for the readers who both collect and devour books.*A wrym is a wingless and legless dragon.

Writing Projects

Experience

NXT Gen Producer / Darwin Fringe Incorporated
FEB 2025 - CURRENT, DARWIN
❀ This project is being undertaken through the NXT Gen ARTS 2024-25 grant issued by Arts NT in November 2024.MAGNIFY Producer Mentor / City of Darwin's LAUNCH youth program and Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
FEB 2025 - CURRENT, DARWINArtist Representative / Darwin Emerging Creatives
FEB 2024 - CURRENT, DARWINArt Group Facilitator / headspace
JUN 2022 - CURRENT, DARWIN
❀ A weekly arts/craft workshopGeek Up Art Facilitator / City of Darwin's LAUNCH youth program and City of Darwin Libraries
FEB 2022 - CURRENT, DARWIN
❀ City of Darwin Libraries' monthly fun geeky program for young people aged 15-25 which builds up to their annual Geektacular event, featuring art workshops by local young creatives, board games, Dungeons & Dragons and toasties!Gallery Attendant / CDU Art Collection and Art Gallery
NOV 2021 - CURRENT, DARWINGeektacular 2025 Producer Mentor / City of Darwin's LAUNCH youth program
OCT 2024 - JAN 2025, DARWINProject Coordinator for You Matter: a collection by young Darwin artists / City of Darwin's LAUNCH youth program,
APR - SEP 2024, DARWIN
❀ You Matter is a colouring book collection of beautiful designs from 20 young local artists containing additional information about existing mental health resources and services.Secret Art Producer / Darwin Fringe Incorporated
APR - JUL 2023 + JAN - JUL 2024, DARWIN
❀ Darwin Fringe Festival's annual exhibition of new and unreleased works by visual artists aged 12-25.MAGNIFY Lead Emerging Producer / City of Darwin's LAUNCH youth program and Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
JAN - APR 2024, DARWIN
❀ A sunset micro-festival with food, music, art workshops and market stalls of pre-loved clothing and handcrafted delights.Arts Facilitator, Kick Back Parlour at the Festival of Us / The Good Games Social Club
26 JAN 2024, DARWIN
❀ A place to relax, 'kick back' and have fun with games, arts and karaoke!Geektacular 2023 + 2024 Event Coordinator / City of Darwin's LAUNCH youth program
NOV 2022 - JAN 2023 + NOV 2023 - JAN 2024, DARWIN
❀ Created by young people for young people, Geektacular is an annual free event for experiencing geeky fun and celebrating YOU! Featuring a Minimarket of local young creatives, a Cosplay parade + competition, a Board Games Arena, Dungeons & Dragons quick games, a young artist art exhibition, Gaming & Esports, Art workshops, Karaoke, Cooking workshops and so much MORE!Development Officer / Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
AUG - DEC 2023, DARWINArt Workshop Facilitator, Lo-fi Lounge at TROPiCON / City of Darwin's LAUNCH youth program
18 NOV 2023, DARWIN
❀ An arts/craft lounge space where you could listen to lo-fi music while relaxing, reading manga, or getting creative in orgainsed art workshops.Incubator: Zine & Digital Art Fair Coordinator / Darwin Fringe Incorporated
JUN - JUL 2023, DARWIN
❀ Darwin Fringe Festival's annual Zine and Digital Art fair hosted at Brown’s Mart courtyard featuring stalls tabled by various NT artists.Cosplay Life-Drawing Workshop Facilitator / Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
NOV 2022 - MAR 2023, DARWINResearcher for the Young Visual Artists Consultation + Networking Project / City of Darwin's LAUNCH youth program
AUG 2022 – JAN 2023, DARWINGeektacular 2022 Emerging Producer / City of Darwin's LAUNCH youth program
DEC 2021 - JAN 2022, DARWINExhibition Research Assistant Internship / Charles Darwin University (CDU) Art Collection and Art Gallery
27 JUL - 29 SEP 2021, DARWIN
❀ DRAWN from the Charles Darwin University Art Collection presented sketches, drawings, illustrations and works-on-paper acquired by the university since 1980. The exhibition featured 60 artworks by 30 Australian and Indonesian artists created between 1976 - 2021.CITYLIFE Platform Curator / City of Darwin
17 FEB – 18 APR, 23 SEP 2021, DARWIN
❀ The City of Darwin Lightbox Exhibitions Program (previously called CITYLIFE Platform) works with curators to showcase local artists, encourages community dialogue around topical themes and activates Darwin's public spaces through the installation of ten lightboxes which host temporary exhibitions that change every six months.

exhibitions

Group Exhibition / Secret Art, Main Gallery, Darwin Visual Arts
JUL 2024, DARWINGroup Exhibition / Secret Art, Mezzanine Gallery, Darwin Civic Centre
JUL 2023, DARWINGroup Exhibition / The OC Stage, Casuarina Library
JAN - FEB 2023, DARWINGroup Exhibition / Secret Art, Mezzanine Gallery, Darwin Civic Centre
JUL 2022, DARWINGroup Exhibition / Untitled (Third Year's Exhibition), Nan Geise Gallery, Charles Darwin University
OCT 2020, DARWINGroup Exhibition / Distance, Nan Geise Gallery, Charles Darwin University
AUG 2020, DARWINGroup Exhibition / The Overwintering Project, Orange 9, Charles Darwin University
JUN 2019, DARWINGroup Exhibition / Fledgling, Northern Centre for Contemporary Art
OCT 2017, DARWIN

curated

Secret Art (Darwin Fringe Festival)
Main Gallery, Darwin Visual Arts
JUL 2024, DARWIN
Stepping Stones (Geektacular 2024)
Co-curator: Ifa Shiqqid, Casuarina Library
JAN 2024, DARWINSecret Art (Darwin Fringe Festival)
Mezzanine Gallery, Darwin Civic Centre
JUL 2023, DARWINThe OC Stage (Geektacular 2023)
Co-curator: Ifa Shiqqid, Casuarina Library
JAN - FEB 2023, DARWINHome Turf: Adventures in Art
(CITYLIFE Platform Youth Week Lightbox Exhibition)
Smith Street Mall, Dragonfly Car Park, Nightcliff Pool
APR 2021 - JAN 2022, DARWIN'Home Turf: Adventures in Art' exhibition video by Kevin Huang

education

TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
Competency Achieved, Charles Darwin University
COMPLETED 29th NOV 2023, DARWINBachelor of Arts: Creative and Digital Arts & Global Humanities in a Digital Age
GPA: 6.75, Charles Darwin University
COMPLETED 21st JUL 2021, DARWIN❀ Awarded Friends of Barbara James Memorial Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Australian History
Issued by Professor Ruth Wallace • MAY 2018