Courtney Coombs

Courtney Coombs makes art, writes, and facilitates to make sense of the world and their place in it. They are heavily influenced by situations and captivated by the relational. Employing queer-centric methodologies, they privilege periods of observing, thinking, feeling, learning, and unlearning, as much as realising a final form, which often involves a reimagining of everyday encounters. Driven by concepts and seduced by the potential of uncertainty and ambiguity, their minimally presented liaisons include objects, installations, 2-dimensional works, moving images and sound, discourse, dialogue, and community building. Courtney imbues these subjective and gestural propositions with a hopeful criticality concerned with disrupting dominant narratives about worth and value, and prompting different ways of seeing, understanding and being.


Courtney has spent their time at HIAP learning about the history of the Suomenlinna, reading, walking, and reflecting. The omnipresence of bird life on the island has heavily influenced their thoughts and therefore the works they have produced during their residency. Over the course of their three-month residency, Courtney has produced digital still images, painted surfaces, and minimal installations produced from found objects, sound, and moving image works. They hope that these offerings encourage an increased capacity to notice the wonder around us.

Courtney Coombs’ residency is realised with support from The Australia Council for the Arts.