Dean Greeno

Based in Launceston, Dean Greeno’s practice is grounded in Country, family and culture. "My primary influence is Country," he explains. "The Country where I was born, where I have worked, the places I have visited, the Country that is embedded with moments and memory.

"That is where I am when creating."

His practice centres on Indigenous sovereignty, cultural continuity, and environmental justice.

Working across community arts, education, and advocacy, Dean uses creative projects to amplify Palawa perspectives, strengthen identity, and challenge colonial narratives.

 Storytelling, performance, and forms of quiet, sustained activism sit at the core of his work, supporting social and ecological wellbeing.

Image: A close-up of Dean's work, tunapri milaythina muka, To know Sea Country through making... featured in RISE. Photo: QVMAG.

Dean’s methods are deeply collaborative and community-driven. His practice draws on oral histories, shared knowledge, and participatory processes that foreground Palawa knowledge systems. By privileging dialogue, lived experience, and cultural continuity, his work resists colonial structures while strengthening sovereignty, responsibility to Country, and intergenerational connection. Across performance, sculpture, drawing, and storytelling, Dean creates spaces for learning, reflection, and action.

Family, community, and Country are constant sources of inspiration and purpose. They shape not only what is made, but why it is made. Art, in this context, is a continuation of culture -something lived, shared, and carried forward.

Image: Dean examines his work in the RISE exhibition. Photo: QVMAG.

As part of RISE, Dean hopes audiences feel compelled to seek deeper knowledge, beyond the gallery space, and to engage more thoughtfully with the histories and perspectives embedded in the work. He is grateful to his ancestors, family and Country for the skills to create art within a cultural context that has been seen and considered worthy of the RISE exhibition.

For other emerging artists, Dean has words of advice: "Country, Culture and Community are not just inspirational words. They are your direct connections to ancestors - honour that within your work."

Dean’s work reminds us that art is not separate from life - it is part of cultural continuity. His practice invites deeper listening and respect as we are encouraged to reflect, connect, and act.

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