Primavera 2017

Overview

Curated this year by Sophia Kouyoumdjian, Primavera 2017: Young Australian Artists at the MCA will exhibit work from eight selected artists exploring the theme of 'Ancient Futures' and considering the relationship between existence in the present, and the past.

Artists Laura Hindmarsh, Teelah George, Jacobus Capone, Elena Papanikolakis, Adam John Cullen, Nicole Foreshew, Kynan Tan and Tom Polo work across a range of disciplines including video, installation, painting, photography and collage. About half the works will be created especially for the exhibition, and each artist will be specifically questioning the ideas of archives and collections — whether human or natural, physical or digital.

For the uninitiated, Primavera is the MCA's yearly exhibition of Australian artists under 35 years old. Now in its 26th edition, the show has a rep for catching artists early in their careers who then go on to achieve international acclaim. Kouyoumdjian says part of a thrill of the show, besides the art itself, "is about what the experience of exhibiting at the MCA, a unique and significant institution, can mean to an artist's career." Basically it's a chance to see the ones-to-watch while they're still the ones-to-watch.

While you're there, make sure to visit the Hilarie Mais exhibition also opening August 23.

Image: Jacobus Capone, Dark Learning (still), 2015.