Three of Sydney’s foremost art institutions will come together to survey the latest ideas and forms in contemporary Australian art. The Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW), Carriageworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) have pulled together their considerable weight to develop a large-scale exhibition aiming to consolidate the profile of Australian arts practice. The National: New Australian Art is set to run across all three venues with iterations biannually in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
In contrast to the Biennale of Sydney, The National will draw exclusively from local and national artists, as well as Australians abroad, with the directors indicating a strong emphasis on works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. For each iteration the three cultural institutions will collaborate on curatorial rationale to represent a wide swathe of national voices—from those just emerging through to established artists.
So far, nine artists from six Australian states and territories have been announced. These include Taloi Havini (Melbourne, Victoria), Tiger Yaltangki (Indulkana, South Australia) and Alex Martinis Roe (Berlin, Germany) for the Art Gallery of NSW; Archie Moore (Toowoomba, Queensland), Justene Williams (Western Sydney, New South Wales) and Richard Lewer (Melbourne, Victoria) for Carriageworks; and Erin Coates (Perth, Western Australia), Karen Mills (Darwin, Northern Territory), and Ronnie van Hout (Melbourne, Victoria) for the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. The full artist list will be announced on 1 December.
Carriageworks director Lisa Havilah explained, “The National: New Australian Art will chart the rich diversity of contemporary practice featuring artists that work in dialogue with other disciplines including performance, dance, music and screen.”
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Ann Macgregor director at MCA mentioned that “It will also enable [the] three institutions to reach, engage, share and grow diverse audiences through free and low-cost public programs, fostering participation and knowledge sharing.”
The National: New Australian Art 2017
Art Gallery of New South Wales
30 March – 30 July 2017
Carriageworks
30 March – 18 June 2017
Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
30 March – 18 June 2017
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