Chrystal Rimmer

b.1992 Naarm/Melbourne 

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Chrystal Rimmer is an artist and educator practicing in Gadigal/Sydney. Rimmer’s practice investigates the confluence of ecology, geology, waste and entropy through the lens of material exploration and experimentation. Through research-based studies Rimmer draws on situated knowledge and speculative narratives to investigate the ways in which waste can function as materials of resilience amidst environmental degradation.

 

Rimmer works with postindustrial materials such as plastic and aluminium to depict specimens of algae, molluscs, and native flora. The personal, political and ecological narratives embedded in each piece seek to challenge human-centric perspectives on nature and invite more-than-human ways of knowing. Through this practice, she fosters radical empathy, encouraging a shift in perspective towards greater reciprocity and a deeper recognition of the complexities and intricate interdependencies of all living systems.

 

Rimmer completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at The National Art School, Sydney in 2015 and was awarded the Aboriginal Art Centre Internship Program. Graduating her Masters of Fine Arts in 2019 Rimmer was awarded the prestigious Lift Off Award, comprising two fully funded international residencies including Miet AIR in Beers, The Netherlands, where she continued her study of plastic waste and explored the material properties of aluminium. In addition, she collaborated with academics in a research residency with Sail Britain across the remote Western Isles of Scotland, collecting samples and data on the effects of micro plastics in bodies of water. In 2024, Chrystal was a finalist in the Churchie Emerging Art Prize.