Adelaide Biennial Breaks Records, Appoints 2018 Curator, Acquires New Work

Having expanded to a series of venues across the city, the 2016 Biennial’s booming success has been attributed to greater visibility, accessibility and reputation as a stellar platform for Australian artists. The major contributor to the boost in attendance figures could be put down to “expansion of the reach of the exhibition across and beyond Adelaide’s North Terrace to include the Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, JamFactory, Carrick Hill and Santos Museum of Economic Botany in the Adelaide Botanic Garden,” according to its curator Lisa Slade in a press release. One day after finishing its 79 day run, the Adelaide Biennial has also named its curator for the 2018 event as Erica Green, the Director of the Samstag Museum of Art. “Erica has a host of commissioned projects and major exhibitions and publications to her credit,” said Nick Mitzevich, Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia. “Her appointment builds on the partnership established with the Samstag Museum and other Adelaide cultural institutions for this year’s Adelaide Biennial.” Thirteen works from the 2016 Biennial have been acquired into the Art Gallery’s collection. Valued together at more than $500,000, the works come from a diverse spread of media including sculpture, installations, photography and painting. New works acquired by the Gallery:

Installation view 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object featuring Tarryn Gill, Guardians, Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, Adelaide

Robyn Stacey, Lighthouse Hotel, Port Adelaide, 2015, type C print, 110 x 161.7cm. Courtesy the artist, Stills Gallery, Sydney and Jan Manton Art, Brisbane

Installation view 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object featuring works by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Juz Kitzon, Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, Adelaide

Installation view 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object featuring Pepai Jangala Carroll, Walungurru, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

Artist Nell with her work The Wake, 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object, Art Gallery of South Australia

Artist Michael Zavros with his work The Phoenix, 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object, Art Gallery of South Australia

Installation view 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object featuring works by Juz Kitzon and Clare Milledge, Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, Adelaide

Jacqui  Stockdale, Man of Quinn, 2015, from the series The Boho, type C print, 110 x 140cm. Courtesy the artist and THIS IS NO FANTASY + Dianne Tanzer Gallery, Melbourne

Jacqui Stockdale, The Offering, 2015, from the series The Boho, type C print, 139 x 105.5cm. Courtesy the artist and THIS IS NO FANTASY + Dianne Tanzer Gallery, Melbourne

Installation view 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object featuring Heather B Swann, Banksia Men, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

Installation view 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object featuring works by Glenn Barkley, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

Artist Abdul-Rahman Abdullah with his work Merantau, 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object, Art Gallery of South Australia

adelaidebiennial.com.au