Rima Martens is an artist living and working in the upper Blue Mountains of NSW, on the beautiful lands of the Gundungurra and Darug people.

Her work is fuelled by a restlessness and a desire to harness the human potential found in presence. Her practise is dedicated to practise itself, to what unfolds in devotion.

For Rima, justice is an emotional process. She is curious about what justice demands when we are held in love. She previously worked as a criminal defence solicitor for the Aboriginal Legal Service, as well as assisted in three royal commissions for the NSW Government. She carries stories shared by both victims and perpetrators, and has witnessed how these roles overlap. These cycles are questioned throughout her work.

a life, it seems, is a colossal collaboration

one giant conversation, heal and toe

i bow down to my partners

Rima Martens (b.1995) holds a Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Macquarie University, and is currently studying Visual Arts at TAFE NSW. Her poetry has been published in LOR Journal, The Quarry, The Quo, Running Dog and in E/merge, a digital collection published by the Emerging Writers Festival. In 2021, she was mentored by Brook Emery through the Australian Association of Authors, where she produced a manuscript of illustrated poetry.