nipaluna/Hobart-based artist Heather B. Swann awarded Copyright Agency Partnerships commission, in collaboration with UNSW Galleries
October 2, 2025
Copyright Agency announces Australian artist Heather B. Swann as the next recipient of the Copyright Agency Partnerships (CAP) Commission. Swann will present the $80,000 commission, The Forests of Symbols, at UNSW Galleries, Sydney, from 4 September to 22 November 2026.
Heather B. Swann has established a formidable reputation as a maker of sculptural objects, ink drawings and paintings of dark, sensual and fantastic presence. She is developing an ambitious new project conceived as the first in a final series to be completed during her lifetime. It brings together newly commissioned and rarely seen works in sculpture, painting and drawing.
The project’s title is itself a metaphor for a way of knowing the world; indeed, it describes a method. With the senses wide open to symbolism and allegory in the limitless phenomena that surround us, The Forests of Symbols is a reminder that it is our separate and collective human inventions that create our cultural memory. Every little thing could be symbolic.
“The Forests of Symbols is an umbrella for what I have made and what I will make. My work is situated deep inside my nervous system, and I see the world ‘feelingly’. Floating around in a metaphorical forest of symbols searching for the pathos in things, I am a leaf in the wind, a daydreamer. There are too many meanings to make sense in here; the day breaks and the night falls, someone is shooting the breeze, and I hear a faint line singing that this whole wide world is longing for beauty.” Swann said.
UNSW Galleries Director José Da Silva said: “Heather creates installations that are potent and full of sensuous atmosphere. She reminds us of the allegorical and metaphoric potential of objects and images, and with this new commission, she extends that vision on an ambitious scale previously unseen. We are thrilled to support her in realising the first iteration of her final artistic project.”
Copyright Agency CEO Josephine Johnston said, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with UNSW Galleries to present this significant new iteration of CAP. Heather B. Swann’s practice continues to expand the possibilities of contemporary art, and this exhibition will further cement her reputation as one of Australia’s most innovative artists. Over the past four years we have seen how CAP commissions can shape artists’ careers and connect them with new audiences, and we look forward to building on that impact by creating even more opportunities for career development and engagement in the next three years.”
Copyright Agency Partnerships is a series that supports major commissions for mid-career and established artists in partnership with leading cultural organisations around Australia. Previous CAP partners include 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Institute of Modern Art, and Perth Institute for Contemporary Arts.
Exhibition details
The Forests of Symbols
4 September – 22 November 2026
UNSW Galleries, Sydney