Primavera: Young Australian Artists

23 August - 19 October 2025  |  Gallery 1

Primavera: Young Australian Artists, the MCA Australia’s annual exhibition for artists aged 35 years and under, presents work by six early-career artists who challenge society’s prescribed structures to deliver compelling alternatives to the status quo. Each artist, drawing on their lived experiences, reckons with the perils of history, education, culture and language to question authoritative structures and systems.

Guest curated by Sydney based artist and curator Talia Smith, Primavera features artists Tiyan Baker (NSW), Christopher Bassi (QLD), Moorina Bonini (VIC), Nikki Lam (VIC), Sarah Poulgrain (QLD), and Truc Truong (SA), who investigate themes of protest, reimagining, and perseverance. 

Since its inception in 1992, Primavera has played an influential role in the development of contemporary art in Australia, introducing the work and ideas of a generation of artists at an early stage of their careers to a broader public.

 

 

A Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Museums & Galleries of NSW touring exhibition curated by Talia Smith. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.

Nikki Lam, the unshakable destiny_2101, 2021, installation view, Primavera 2023: Young Australian Artists, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, 2023, 16mm film transferred to digital video, 2K, colour, sound, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Zan Wimberley. Primavera: Young Australian Artists, installation view, Wangaratta Art Gallery, 2025. Photos Jeremy Weihrauch.