Primavera 2014: Young Australian artists
Opening tomorrow, Tuesday 23 September, Primavera 2014 is set to colour the Museum of Contemporary Art with questions and ideas from Australia’s next wave of visual arts talent.
An annual exhibition for Australian artists aged 35 years and under, this year’s guest curator, Mikala Dwyer, is a returning alumni artist from Primavera’s inaugural 1992 exhibition.
Dwyer’s selection has focussed upon artists that challenge the audience to reimagine our contemporary experience, commenting, “When I think through the work of the artists I’ve selected for Primavera, all sorts of ideas, interests and associations pop up, including Surrealism, robotics, queer fertility, ritual, time, witchcraft, science, alchemy, dreaming and telepathy.”
Whilst there is no specific exhibition theme, each work speaks of distinctly unique experiences that unite to create a powerful commentary of the diverse world we live in.
With artists selected from six states and territories, the exhibition speaks to the national imaginary and collective consciousness. The artists in this year’s exhibition are Madison Bycroft, Ben Denham, Nick Dorey, Caitlin Franzmann, Hossein Ghaemi, Emily Hunt, Ishmael Marika, Barayuwa Mununggurr, Sean Peoples and the Telepathy Project (Veronica Kent and Sean Peoples), Alison Puruntatameri, Lucienne Rickard, Marian Tubbs and Paul Yore.
This injection of youthful artistic energy into the MCA encourages dynamism and a rethinking of boundaries. The exhibitions spans multifarious forms of media from two-dimensional to three-dimensional and time-based work such as drawing, painting, sculpture, video, ceramics, textiles, installation and performance.
Several artists, including Madison Bycroft, Ben Denham, Caitlin Franzmann and Lucienne Rickard share an overlapping interest in exploring man’s relationship with our surroundings; be it nature or urban, each other or ourselves.
Whilst Paul Yore and 23-year-old Ishmael Marika, are concerned with social issues: Marika’s work, a manifestation of his exploration of indigenous cultural identity and heritage, and Paul Yore’s colourful and psychedelic works created from humble every-day items, a commentary on gay politics.
Set up by Dr Edward Jackson AM and Mrs Cynthia Jackson AM and their family in memory of their daughter Belinda Jackson, the award aims to celebrate young emerging talent in Australia.
EXHIBITION
Primavera 2014: Young Australian artists
23 September – 30 November
Museum of Contemporary Art
Image 1:Madison Bycroft, Nupta Contagioso/Primordial Sound (production still, detail), 2014, single-channel digital video, colour,sound.
Courtesy the artist and the Museum of Contemporary Art
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