Why art matters for a place most Australians will never see

Why art matters for a place most Australians will never see

As Antarctica undergoes rapid environmental change, artists are playing a critical role in how its impacts are understood beyond scientific data. RMIT experts highlight why funding for programs that support creative practice, such as the Australian Antarctic Arts Fellowship, is essential to sustaining a cultural record of the continent at a moment of profound transformation.

Professor Philip Samartzis, School of Art 

"Science measures Antarctica. Art interprets it. We need both if we’re to grasp the scale and urgency of what is unfolding at the southernmost edge of the world. 

"Most people will never travel to Antarctica. The Arts Fellowship ensures that its sounds, textures, and realities are not confined to research stations but carried back into cultural life. 

"Retaining this program is not about supporting artists for its own sake — it’s about sustaining a cultural record of a continent undergoing profound environmental change."

Philip Samartzis is a sound artist, researcher, and curator whose practice investigates the social and environmental conditions of remote regions and marginalised communities. Philip is lead curator of Creative Antarctica. 

Dr Polly Stanton, School of Media and Communication

"There's truly nothing that compares to the fellowship - it exists in a category of its own, much like Antarctica itself.  

"It’s quite a singular experience. You need to be prepared to adapt and equip yourself physically and emotionally in ways that other creative and professional experiences don't demand of you. 

"The fellowship isn't for everyone. The extreme environment, the isolation and the intensity of the experience require a particular kind of interest and resilience.  

"Antarctica has a way of transforming everyone who spends time there, regardless of their background or creative discipline. It tends to strip away the non-essential in people and leaves you with something fundamental about your work, about yourself and about your place in the world.” 

Polly Stanton is a Senior lecturer in the school of Media and Communication. She teaches and supervises across sound, video and installation practice in the Master of Media program. 

 

Creative Antarctica: Australian Artists and Writers in the Far South is now open at RMIT Gallery and Design Hub Gallery until 2 May 2026. 

As part of the free, public program accompanying the exhibition, Philip Samartzis will present Air Pressure at The Capitol on Friday 27 February 2026.  

The exhibition was produced as part of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project Creative Antarctica: Australian Artists and Writers in the Far South, in collaboration with project team members.  

***

General media enquiries: RMIT External Affairs and Media, 0439 704 077 or news@rmit.edu.au

26 February 2026

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