Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) kicks off a year of celebrating Australian artists by showcasing important works from local women in the art world, touching on themes of continuity and connection.
Curated by MCA curator Manya Sellers, Eight Artists puts a spotlight on major works from the MCA Collection, featuring significant recent acquisitions as well as Collection highlights. Collection favourites such as Esme Timbery’s ‘Shellworked Slippers’ are joined by never-exhibited-before works, including a multi-panel bark painting by Naminapu Maymuru White and a new commission of an 'ephemeral salt drawing' by Sandra Selig.
The works in this exhibition are underpinned by diverse narratives. There are depictions of significant cultural knowledge and practices, such as dance and ceremony, together with an honouring of deeply personal kinship relations and women’s stories. Many works also share a compelling relationship to the body and movement, from performance to the gestural nature of the artistic process.
The MCA’s commitment to celebrating Australian artists will continue, with the opening of The National 4: Australia Art Now (from March 31), a new MCA Collection display on Level 2 curated collaboratively by the MCA curatorial team (from June 16), followed by the 32nd edition of Primavera 2023: Young Australian Artists on (from September 8).
This year the MCA will also present several important new commissions, including Melbourne-based artist and Kamilaroi man Reko Rennie’s new work for the Loti Smorgon Sculpture Terrace on Level 4.
Eight Artists is showing in the MCA’s Level 1 South Galleries from now until August 20, 2023.