Exploring a Post-Climate Future
A major new immersive exhibition titled ‘Primary Succession’ will open in Greater Dandenong at 6pm on 6th June. Visitors are invited to explore a future shaped by climate change and ecological transformation.
Renowned artists Wona Bae from South Korea and Charlie Lawler from Australia created the exhibition. It examines post-climate environments and reveals how landscapes adapt and evolve when familiar systems collapse. Hosted at Walker Street Gallery and Arts Centre, the exhibition promises an engaging experience.
Over years of research focused on Melbourne and Greater Dandenong, the artists collaborated with the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. This collaboration aimed to understand the impacts of colonisation, urban expansion, and climate pressures.
Art Meets Ecology
Primary Succession transforms the gallery into an atmospheric setting where art meets ecology. Visitors will experience sculptural forms and immersive installations featuring dynamic lighting, sound, and experimental materials like minerals and crystals that evolve over time.
Alongside the main exhibition, a companion piece, ‘Field of Future Ecologies,’ will be displayed in Harmony Square. This illuminated glass cube showcases crystal formations, activated by ultraviolet light to create a vibrant and evolving visual experience.
A Welcome to Country will be performed by Bunurong Elder Uncle Mark Brown on 6th June. Following this, Councillor Isabella Do will deliver a speech. An in-conversation session with the artists and curator will also take place, accompanied by a music performance by Ai Yamamoto.
Dr Miriam La Rosa, Arts Curator for Greater Dandenong City Council, stated, “Rather than focusing only on loss, Primary Succession invites audiences to consider regeneration as something ongoing, quiet, collective, and constantly evolving.”
The exhibition runs from 6th June to 15th August and encourages reflection on resilience and coexistence in a rapidly changing world. It highlights the role of the grey-headed flying fox in ecosystem health, presenting them as guides to a future of adaptation and survival.
At its core, the exhibition explores life after ecological disruption. It presents a world where ecosystems reorganize in new ways. In this future, natural systems learn from past damage, with humans no longer at the center.
Last updated: 2 June 2026, 10:55 am
