Since 1992, Primavera has helped kick-start the careers of young Australian artists aged 35 and under. Now in its 26th edition, the class of Primavera 2017 have been selected and will showcase their work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia from the 23rd of August.
Curator Sophia Koyoumdjjan will work with eight artists handpicked from around Australia to explore the theme of ‘Ancient Futures.’ The works will consider the existence, from personal to universal, in relation to archives and how the act of erasure can reveal fundamental notions of the human condition.
Koyoumdjja has worked in the arts sector for over 15 years across directorial, curatorial and exhibition management roles and is currently the Coordinator of Parramatta Artist Studios. “I am honoured to be working with MCA and eight fantastic artists,” says Kouyoumdjian. “This project has allowed me to engage with these artists in their studios, study their artistic practices, and collaborate with them to create something extraordinary to share with the community.”
Coming from various backgrounds, and working in a range of discipline, the artist in this years’ exhibition include Jacobus Capone (WA), Adam John Cullen (VIC), Nicole Foreshew (NSW), Teelah George (WA), Laura Hindmarsh (TAS), Elena Papanikolakis (NSW), Tom Polo (NSW) and Kynan Tan (WA/NSW).
With such diverse conceptualisations of art, the line-up promises an in-depth exploration of this year’s theme. Kynana Tan uses digitally derived art-works inspired by digital systems of control; Jacobus Capone incorporates performance and photography to create evocative and poetic pieces, whilst Nicole Foreshew works across a range of mediums including design, sculpture and film.
Dr Edward Jackson and Mrs Cynthia Jackson, along with their family, initiated Primavera in 1992 in memory of their daughter Belinda, a talented jeweller who died at the age of 29.
Primavera 2017 will take place in the MCA’s Level 1 South Gallery, free to the public. The exhibition will include talks from the curator and the artists, tours and a publication featuring commissioned texts on each of the artists.
For more details head to the MCA website.
Image: Jacobus Capone, Dark Learning (still), 2015, multi-channel video, high definition, colour, sound, 23 minutes, image courtesy and © the artist
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