Hobart Current 2020 artists announced

Published on 14 August 2019

The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) and the City of Hobart are pleased to announce the first group of artists that have been selected to participate in Hobart Current. 

Hobart Current is a major biennial program that aims to nurture and showcase contemporary artists working across different media, culminating in an exhibition every two years. 

The artists were chosen by the inaugural Hobart Current Creative Director, Ms Rosie Dennis following an extensive Expression of Interest (EOI) process conducted over the past four months. Six of the ten artists are Tasmanian with the remainder selected from national and international applications. 

The selected artists are: Brigita Ozolins (Tasmania), Dexter Rosengrave (Tasmania), Jacob Leary (Tasmania), James Newitt (Tasmania), Sinsa Mansell (Tasmania),  Nadege Philippe-Janon (Tasmania), Jagath Dheerasekara (NSW), Sarah-Jane Pell (Vic), Suryo Herlambang (Indonesia), and Uncle Wes Marne (NSW).

The artists will be commissioned to create a new work in response to the chosen 2020 theme Liberty: from Here to Here before exhibiting their work as part of a major exhibition. Each artist will receive a professional fee of $15 000 to develop the new creative work for the program.

Rosie was impressed with the way each of the chosen artists offered an individual and expansive approach to the theme. 

“We received nearly 170 expressions of interest from artists living in Tasmania, interstate and overseas. This level of response was well beyond expectations and it was wonderful to read so many ambitious ideas engaging with the theme.  I’m excited about the diversity of the ten artists and seeing how their concepts unfold over the next 12 months.”  

Lord Mayor of Hobart Anna Reynolds said she was delighted at the combination of artists that have been selected to participate in Hobart Current: Liberty 2020.

“Hobart Current has brought together contemporary artists across a range of visual and performance arts to explore a theme that is relevant to many people in our community,” Cr Reynolds said.

“The City of Hobart is pleased to be able to partner with TMAG to deliver this initiative, which supports our arts community and provides opportunities for artistic expression, while making art accessible to our city’s residents and visitors.”

Acting Director of TMAG, Andy Baird said that the museum is looking forward to working with the selected artists to develop a rich learning and public program during the development phase.

“We’re looking at ways we can create opportunities for young people to participate in the creative process over the next year as the artists develop their work. Students will have the opportunity to engage with an artist in the early stages of the exhibition development, through fabrication to the placement of final artworks in the gallery or public space. There will also be a range of opportunities for the audience to respond creatively to the theme.” 

Rosie will now begin to work closely with the 10 selected artists as they begin to develop their new works. 

For more information, please visit: www.hobartcurrent.com

Hobart Current is presented in partnership between the City of Hobart and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.