MCA launches third biennial focusing on Contemporary Australian Art

Written by Howard Mateo Saturday, 04 June 2011 21:42

Sydney, Australia - The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) presents Cross Currents: Focus on contemporary Australian art as part of its spring season exhibition program. Guest curated by John Stringer, Cross Currents is the third in a biennial exhibition series at the MCA focussing on mid-career Australian artists.

Cross Currents builds on the success of the MCA exhibitions Meridian (2002/3) and Interesting Times (2005), bringing together a range of practices that is contextualised through public and educational programs, as well as a major MCA publication with commissioned essays on the participating artists.

The exhibition presents selected works by 16 leading artists from around the country encompassing painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture and installation.

From the delicate surfaces of Karl Wiebke, Rosslynd Piggott and Michele Theunissen to the bold, vibrant canvases of Gareth Sansom, Ah Xian's ornate ceramic busts to David Stephenson's ethereal time-lapse photography, a diversity of methods and of practices is explored.

The featured artists are: Vivienne Binns; Janangoo Butcher Cherel; Elisabeth Cummings; Debra Dawes; Stuart Elliott; Dale Hickey; Hilarie Mais; Helen Maudsley; Rosslynd Piggott; Tobias Richardson; Gareth Sansom; David Stephenson; Michele Theunissen; Karl Wiebke; Djirrirra Wunungmurra; Ah Xian.

Curator John Stringer has extensive experience with Australian art over the past five decades – from positions at the National Gallery of Victoria, where he organised seminal 1968 exhibition The Field, and the Art Gallery of Western Australia, as well as his current role as Curator of the Kerry Stokes Collection. He provides a unique perspective on developments in Australian art and lends great depth to the selection and presentation of works in the exhibition.

Cross Currents runs at the MCA until 26 November 2007. The MCA spring season exhibition program also includes Julie Rrap: Body Double and Primavera 2007: exhibition by young Australian artists.

ABOUT THE MCA

The MCA is the only museum in Australia dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting both local and international contemporary art. In March 2007, the MCA was voted by Sydney-siders as their favourite museum or gallery in an independent poll conducted by the Sydney Chamber of Commerce. Admission is free and it is open to the public daily between 10am and 5pm. www.mca.com.au