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Mikala Dwyer, Untitled, 1995, organza fabric, pins, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with the assistance of stART, MCA Young Patrons, 1997
Credit: Courtesy © the artist
Last month, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia celebrated its 25th birthday with a weekend-long celebration that drew on its archives to celebrate its dynamic present and (hopefully, though you never know when it comes to our elected officials) bright future.
Now, just two weeks after the closure of their spectacular 2016 Primavera showcase, the museum has announced plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their annual exhibition dedicated to showcasing the work of young Australian artists under 35 with a retrospective opening next week. Curated by Megan Robson, MCA Assistant Curator, Primavera at 25: MCA Collection will draw from the museum’s extensive annals to showcase the work of 22 artists who have previously contributed to the exhibition, both established and emerging from a variety of disciplines including painting, video, performance, sculpture, kinetic and installation art.
Since its inception in 1992 by Dr Edward Jackson and Mrs Cynthia Jackson in memory of their daughter and sister Belinda Jackson, 206 artists have had their work exhibited in the museum as part of Primavera. Over 230 of their works have been acquired by the museum during that time, and many from the inaugural event, including the work of semiotic abstraction artist Constanze Zikos, will be included in the coming exhibition. Other artists included in the retrospective include kinetic sculptor Rebecca Baumann, improvisational performance artist Agatha Gothe-Snape and installation artist Mikala Dwyer [pictured above].
The collective named for the mythic Australian performance artist Barbara Cleveland – who went missing in 1981 – will also perform her works, reinterpreting them for new audiences and interrogating her place as an anomaly in Australian art history.
Primavera at 25: MCA Collection will open December 19 2016 and will tour the country until November 25, 2018. You can find out more information here.
Tile image: Danie Mellor, Native Gold (detail), 2008, taxidermied kangaroo and birds, wood, gold plated ceramic, mosaic tiles on eucalyptus branches, expanded polyurethane foam, glitter and neon lights, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds donated by the Mordant Family, 2008, image courtesy and © the artist
Cover image: Tim Silver, Untitled (Adrift), 2004, digital prints on watercolour paper, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with the assistance of Dr Edward Jackson AM
