28 November 2011

Simryn Gill to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale 2013

The Australia Council for the Arts today announced Simryn Gill has been selected to represent Australia at the 55th International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale 2013.
The Sydney-based artist, who works across multiple media, will be the sole artist exhibiting at the Australian Pavilion in the Giardini in June 2013. The exhibition will be curated by Catherine de Zegher. Simryn Gill has had solo exhibitions at the Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne (2009); Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2008); Tate Modern, London (2006); Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo (2004); and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney (2002). Recent group exhibitions she has participated in include Untitled (12th Istanbul Biennial), Istanbul, Turkey (2011); Animism, Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland (2010); Provisions for the Future, Sharjah Biennial, UAE (2010); Transmission Interrupted, Modern Art Oxford, Oxford, UK (2010); Revolutions Forms That Turn, Biennale of Sydney (2008); News From Islands, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown (2007); documenta 12, Kassel, Germany (2007); and Living in the Material World, National Arts Centre, Tokyo, Japan (2007). Simryns work is deeply engaging and challenging, said 2013 Venice Biennale Commissioner Simon Mordant. She will be making a new set of works for Venice and I am overjoyed to be working with both her and Catherine de Zegher, in delivering a very exciting Australian contribution to this most important contemporary art exposition. Australia Council CEO Kathy Keele said: Representing Australia at the Venice Biennale is a significant achievement over 190,000 people visited the Australian Pavilion in 2011. I congratulate Simryn on her selection and Im confident she will leave a lasting impression on the international audiences at the Venice Biennale and well beyond. The exhibition will be curated by Catherine de Zegher, Joint Artistic Director of the 18th Biennale of Sydney in 2012. Catherine is an art historian, curator and writer. She is Visiting Curator at the Antoni Tpies Foundation, Barcelona, and until recently, was Guest Curator in the Department of Drawings at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. From 1999-2006, Catherine was the Director of The Drawing Center in New York. In 1997, she was the Commissioner of the Belgian Pavilion at the 47th Venice Biennale. I feel honored to be invited to do this exhibition and I thank the selection panel members for their trust," said Simryn. I am delighted to be working with Catherine de Zegher. We have admired each others work from a distance for some time now and I look forward to the process of collaboration. Simryn was selected by a six-member peer panel comprising: Simon Mordant, Australian Commissioner for the Venice Biennale 2013 and Chair of the Museum of Contemporary Art; Professor Ted Snell, Chair, Visual Arts Board; Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE, Director, Museum of Contemporary Art; Nick Mitzevich, Director, Art Gallery of South Australia; Jessica Morgan, The Daskalopoulos Curator, International Art, Tate, London; and Russell Storer, Curatorial Manager, Asian and Pacific Art, Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art. We are delighted to also announce the support of The Balnaves Foundation as the Major Partner, and Maddocks as Principal Corporate Sponsor for 2013, said Kathy Keele. Their significant support, as well as the contribution of the Commissioners Council and many individual donors, ensures the Australian representation extends and leverages our presence in Venice to increase the profile and international opportunities for the Australian contemporary visual arts sector.
The Biennale is considered the most important and prestigious event on the international contemporary arts calendar, and is the oldest and largest established biennale in the world. Australia has been consistently represented in the Venice Biennale for more than three decades, through the financial support and management of the Australia Council for the Arts. Visit http://venicebiennale.australiacouncil.gov.au for more information.

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Media contact Lisa Cuthbertson 02 9215 9142 | 0407 662 092 l.cuthbertson@australiacouncil.gov.au http://twitter.com/auscouncilarts http://www.facebook.com/australiacouncil