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
65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art is an extraordinary account of the unique art of this continent, published alongside a landmark exhibition at the Potter Museum of Art. Necessary and urgent, it tells the story of Indigenous Australian art; a new art history unlike anything we’ve seen. For Jane O’Sullivan, it’s a remarkable and must-read book.
In a new series of illustrated postcards available as a free gift with purchase only at the Art Guide Bookstore, Oslo Davis takes on classic and contemporary art terms and genres and reimagines what they could be referring to.
With so much to choose from, we’ve rounded up the major summer exhibitions in each capital city, open all summer long. Spanning Yayoi Kusama, Magritte, the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, and many more.
Emma Phillips has a knack for catching moments of unbridled humanity. In her latest exhibition at ReadingRoom, she shines a light on the breadth of her practice, amalgamating several projects from the last decade.
Whether beloved pets or superstitious omens, animals have always existed in art. The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia’s latest exhibition is paying tribute to two of the most beloved animal figures: cats and dogs.
In two new exhibitions at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, René Magritte and Cao Fei speak to each other across cultures and eras about the way that perception can unsettle reality—and the places the real intersects with the surreal.
