A&D Graduate Curates Primavera 2017

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) has announced the guest curator for Primavera 2017 as UNSW Art & Design graduate, Sophia Kouyoumdjian.

Primavera is the MCA’s annual exhibition of young Australian artists aged 35 years and under. For more than a quarter of a century, the exhibition has become synonymous with talent amongst young artists in Australia, lifting them into the national spotlight.

Previous artists included in Primavera have gone on to represent Australia in world biennales and triennials, exhibit in the Archibald Prize, and even work with CSIRO’s Astronomy and Space Science division.  Past exhibitors include Abdul Abdullah, Shaun Gladwell, David Griggs, Jonathan Jones, Michaela Gleave, Wade Marynowsky, Lucy Simpson, Brown Council, Todd McMillan, Keg de Souza, Mikala Dwyer, and Soda_Jerk, all of whom are graduates from UNSW Art & Design.

Now, as the exhibition turns 26, Sophia Kouyoumdjian will select a new group of Australian artists to showcase and celebrate creative innovation among young practitioners.

Sophia Kouyoumdjian has worked in the arts sector for over 15 years across directorial, curatorial and exhibition management roles. Currently the Coordinator, Parramatta Artist Studios and previously the Acting Director and Curator at Blacktown Arts Centre, Sophia has comprehensive experience in Western Sydney’s contemporary art community.

Primavera is an annual exhibition for young Australian artists aged 35 years and under. It was initiated in 1992 by Dr Edward Jackson AM and Mrs Cynthia Jackson AM and their family in memory of their daughter and sister Belinda, a talented jeweller who died at the age of 29. The exhibition commemorates Belinda Jackson by celebrating the creative achievements of other talented artists in the early stages of their careers.