SYDNEY.- Sydney’s leading visual arts institutions will showcase ambitious new works and commissions by 53 artists and collectives for the fourth edition of The National, which is on display from March to July 2023.

The National is Sydney’s largest biennial survey of contemporary Australian art. A collaboration between four major cultural institutions, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Carriageworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, the exhibition is staged concurrently at each venue and explores the latest ideas and forms in contemporary art today.

The National 4: Australian Art Now is curated by Beatrice Gralton at the Art Gallery of NSW, Emily Rolfe at Campbelltown Arts Centre, Freja Carmichael and Aarna Fitzgerald Hanley at Carriageworks, and Jane Devery at MCA Australia.

From complex large-scale installations to miniature paintings, The National 4 brings together a dynamic group of artists and collectives from across every state and territory. Shared themes in The National 4 include intergenerational learning and interconnectedness, a focus on language and narrative and the role of the artist in the 21st century.

Fourteen artists will be on display at the Art Gallery of NSW, and for the first time at the Brett Whiteley Studio in Surry Hills. Senior Curator of the Brett Whiteley Studio, Beatrice Gralton, said: ‘The exhibition reflects the vitality and diversity of Australian art being made today. There is a strong interest in narrative and the important role that artists play in probing histories to understand, question and redefine our contemporary experience.’

Curator of Contemporary Visual Art at Campbelltown Arts Centre, Emily Rolfe, said: ’Our display for The National 4 will present large scale installations alongside bodies of work by 11 artists, which highlight collaborative and intergenerational practices. Through these projects the artists reflect on our unsettled times and question personal and national stories, creating space for listening and exchange.’

At Carriageworks, co-curators Freja Carmichael and Aarna Fitzgerald Hanley have invited 11 artists to create new works. ‘We are proud to be working alongside and connecting with artists across Country, across generations and across artistic practices. Our selection of artists recognises the important role artists hold as communicators and storytellers of experiences in Australia today.’

The National 4 at MCA Australia includes 13 artists and 2 collectives curated by Senior Curator, Exhibitions, Jane Devery. ‘The exhibition at MCA Australia reflects how artists are imagining new ways of seeing and being in the world at a time of unprecedented change. Their works invite contemplation and conversation across a range of experimental, process-based and socially engaged practices,’ Devery commented.

The exhibition dates for The National 4: Australian Art Now are: 

• Art Gallery of New South Wales: Friday 24 March – Sunday 23 July 2023
• Campbelltown Arts Centre: Thursday 30 March – Sunday 25 June 2023
• Carriageworks: Thursday 30 March – Sunday 25 June 2023
• Museum of Contemporary Art Australia: Friday 31 March – July 2023