Primavera 2015

Overview

It’s the art event that kicked off the careers of leading contemporary artists such as Shaun Gladwell, Rebecca Baumann and Kate Mitchell. And this year Nicole Foreshew will be curating the MCA’s annual showcase of young and emerging artists. The 24th edition of Primavera is united by the theme Global South, which will probe long-held understandings of Australian culture, identities and power.

Pulling together a diverse range of practices, the show will feature seven artists hailing from four states and territories — Abdul Abdullah, Heather Douglas, Taloi Havini, Vincent & Vaughan O’Connor, Steaphan Paton and Lucy Simpson.

In terms of curatorial vision, Foreshew states the importance of Aboriginal art-making in the south-eastern region of Australia, aiming to counteract the assumption that these practices have ceased or evolved beyond recognition. Primavera will shed light on how Indigenous culture has come to be recognised as a central pillar of Australian art, casting off the shackles of colonialism along the way.