Present, curated by writer/curator Kate Britton (who is also the director of Art Month Sydney), brings together a group of unrepresented artists: Kalanjay Dhir, Caroline Garcia, Get to Work, Samuel Hodge, Claudia Nicholson, and Athena Thebus. For each of these artists, and the trio behind Get to Work, identity is at the core of their practice. Their work seeks to make those who have existed until very recently outside the mainstream, culturally visible.
Britton says, “For centuries there has been silencing, and sometimes violence, toward anyone that can’t fit into what the powers that be deem ideal or default. People of colour, queer and trans bodies, those living in non-nuclear and non-traditional families, for example – who haven’t seen themselves represented in the public sphere – have been made invisible. It is time not just to acknowledge this problem, but to start to rectify it in some small way through platforming self-representation of those who have been ignored and represented by others for too long.”
The work selected interacts with conversations about identity outside the normative and artists who, according to Britton, “refuse to be flattened into one thing, or one label”.
The other element of Present examines changes in the art sector that assist artists who choose to remain outside the traditional model of the commercial gallery. Britton noted, “Some artists prefer a more fluid approach… we’re seeing different models too – studios that encourage critical curatorial engagement, online spaces, public and non-commercial institutions opening up to more experimental practices.” In Present, artists open their experiences, often autobiographical, through their work. Britton concludes, “Each of these artists/ collectives help us to reflect on our own identity, what we take for granted and what needs a closer look.”
Present
Darren Knight Gallery
3 March – 31 March
Until 2026, Wanneroo Regional Art Gallery will be showing 53 original artworks by one of the most famous artists of the 20th century: Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol ICONS includes famous works such as Elvis (1963), Campbell’s Soup Cans (1968) and Marilyn (1967).
For the 24th Biennale of Sydney, Paris-based Fondation Cartier has commissioned 14 new works by Indigenous artists across the globe, curated by renowned Kuku Yalanji artist, Tony Albert.
From revamped industrial sites to brand new spaces in Sydney, to openings in Adelaide, Melbourne, Cottesloe and Darwin—across Australia there’s a flurry of new and reopening gallery activity.
With scores of artists in the current 24th Biennale of Sydney, we look at nine artists from around the world participating in the event, from a Japanese queer icon to a Polish film director, to creations of Māori barkcloth to Indian tattoos.
The three separate exhibitions that come together in Tales of Land & Sea, speak to Arthur Boyd’s sense of justice, his desire to break down barriers between class and cultures, and his deep love of the ancient myths that still speak to humanity.
Congratulations to Ellen Dahl, who has won the $30,000 2024 National Photography Prize for her work, Four Days Before Winter, a four-part piece exploring the devastating effects of climate change on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.
