We are delighted to introduce the three artists selected for Nature Foundation's Artist Residency Program for 2026.

Founded in 2019, Nature Foundation's Artist Residency Program offers artists the chance to immerse themselves in the inspiring landscapes of Witchelina and Hiltaba Nature Reserves, responding to these remote South Australian landscapes through distinct but complementary creative practices.




The 2026 artists are:

• Sophie Chauncy

• Ariel Katzir

• Jade Zander

Learn more about them and see an example of their artwork below.
 

Sophie Chauncy

Sophie Chauncy is a visual artist based in Yanco Creek, Riverina, NSW.

Working in mixed media on paper and canvas with natural pigments, found materials, and layered mark-making, her art explores the relationships between people, place, and biodiversity, with a particular focus on at-risk birdlife and the fragile ecologies that sustain it.

During the residency (location TBC), she plans to paint directly from life in the field, incorporating natural sediments and nature-stencilling techniques drawn from leaves, grasses, and other found materials, letting the environment itself shape the work.
Above: Sophie Chauncy, Feathered Waterline, 2025, Mixed media on paper.

Ariel Katzir

Ariel Katzir is a Perth-based multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans painting, ceramics, drawing, murals, and textiles.

Her work translates non-visual sensory experiences, sound, light, texture, and atmosphere into expressive, synesthetic visual forms. These elements are evident in her recent Silver Ears series.

Ariel will visit Hiltaba and during the residency, she aims to treat the nature reserve as places of active ecological listening, developing new work that interprets the lived experience of Country: from sweeping geological formations to the intricate life cycles of the plants and animals that inhabit them.
Above: Ariel Katzir, Sound of Bindoon (series), 2025, Acrylic paint, graphite pencil, paint pens on Japanese linen.

Jade Zander

Jade Zander brings a rare fusion of scientific insight and artistic expression to the program.

A former Restoration Ecologist based in South Australia, Jade works in meticulous stippling, building each piece from hundreds of delicate dots.

At Hiltaba, she intends to create illustrated field notes documenting the often-overlooked native bird species of these reserves, pairing fine drawing with the ecological knowledge needed to explain each species' role in sustaining its habitat.
Above (and very top square): Jade Zander, Top: The Owl We Once Knew, 2025, Archival ink on acid free card, Above: The Wattle Watchers, 2025, Archival ink on acid free card.


Thank you to all artists who applied to participate in this year's residency program and to our Artist Residency Program Advisory Group-Catherine Bourne, Kirsty Darlaston, and Peter Hastwell-who reviewed all applications and assisted with the selection process.

We wish the three selected artists all the best for their residencies and look forward to seeing the artworks inspired by our remote nature reserves. Nature Foundation look forward to showcasing the resulting art at an exhibition in 2027. To be notified, subscribe below to our email updates or follow our social media accounts.

We are excited to announce the upcoming exhibition of the 2025 residency program artists' work at the Light Square Gallery from Friday, 2 to Thursday, 22 October 2026, as part of the Nature Foundations 5 exhibition. Further updates will be shared on our website, by email, and on social media, closer to the opening date.

Nature Foundation gratefully acknowledges the Artist Residency Program sponsorship by the Helen James Endowment Fund.