MCA Collection: Eight Artists presents recent acquisitions alongside MCA Collection favourites and works shown at the MCA for the first time. Works by eight significant Australian artists represented in the MCA Collection are included: Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori, Raelene Kerinauia Lampuwatu, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Naminapu Maymuru-White, Sandra Selig, Esme Timbery, Judith Wright and Gulumbu Yunupiŋu.
The works in Eight Artists reveal a shared interest in seriality and repetition. Several also share a compelling relationship to the body and to movement, from performance to the gestural nature of the artistic process. Drawing upon diverse cultural narratives, many of the works are underpinned by significant cultural knowledge, including practices of dance and ceremony, and an honouring of deeply personal kinship relations and women’s stories.
The collection display includes works acquired over the past two decades, both through generous donations and through the MCA Foundation, which directly supports the acquisition and commissioning of artworks for the MCA Collection. The MCA collects art by living Australian artists, with a strong commitment to the work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Since its inception in 1989, the Museum has acquired new and recent works by living artists across all media, shaping a distinctive history of art from Australia as it unfolds.
Manya Sellers
Associate Curator, Collection