The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia) announced today the six artists to exhibit in Primavera 2023: Young Australian Artists – Tiyan Baker (NSW), Christopher Bassi (QLD), Moorina Bonini (VIC), Nikki Lam (VIC), Sarah Poulgrain (QLD), and Truc Truong (SA).
Opening on 9 September 2023 until 4 February 2024, Primavera 2023: Young Australian Artists curated by Talia Smith, considers the idea of the ‘collective body’ and the ways in which communities and growing movements attempt to question, challenge and manoeuvre through failing societal structures. The six participating artists investigate themes of protest, perseverance, and reimagining through their works of various media, including installation, video, painting, sculpture, and text.
Primavera is the MCA Australia’s annual exhibition showcasing the work of Australian artists aged 35 years and under. Now in its 32nd year, Primavera continues to be a significant platform for early-career Australian artists and curators to present exciting new work. Since its inception, the exhibition series has presented the work of over 250 artists and over 30 curators and propelled the careers of many of Australia’s most significant artists.
Primavera 2023 is curated by Sydney-based artist and curator, Talia Smith. Currently Curator at Granville Centre Art Gallery in Sydney, Smith has worked across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, curating for Artspace Ideas Platform, Cement Fondu, the 2021 Ballarat Foto Biennale, and the 2022 Singapore International Photography Festival.
On the exhibition, Guest Curator, Talia Smith said: “The selected artists in Primavera 2023 are from different states and cities in Australia and their practices are materially and stylistically very different. What brings them together is the way they reckon with the perils of history, education, culture, and language to question authoritative structures and systems. They assert that there is more than one way of living and offer impressions of how it might look.
I am interested in how we as artists and arts workers are trying to create a future that is inclusive and the ways that we are achieving this, by operating both in and outside the prescribed structures.”
Suzanne Cotter, Director Museum of Contemporary Art Australia said: “The MCA’s annual Primavera exhibition is recognised as a unique and pivotal launch pad in an artist’s career. Each year is a privileged opportunity to see the energy and the commitment of a new generation of artists who will be defining how we see and understand art now and in the future. This year’s edition of Primavera is no exception.”
Primavera is supported by MCA Next; the Museum’s program for young philanthropists. The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia would like to thank the exhibition partners AV1 and Pommery.
Primavera 2023: Young Australian Artists is a free exhibition on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Level 1 South Gallery, from Saturday 9 September 2023 until Sunday 4 February 2024.
