2018 Adelaide Biennial Announces Artist Lineup

Australian contemporary artists and collectives selected for next year's Adelaide Biennial.

Delivering new and unexpected visions in mediums such as photography, painting, sculpture, installation and the moving image will be artists from all corners of the country, including: Vernon Ah Kee (QLD), Lisa Adams (QLD), Roy Ananda (SA), Daniel Boyd (NSW), KristIan Burford (SA), Maria Fernanda Cardoso (NSW), Barbara Cleveland (NSW), Kirsten Coelho (SA), Sean Cordeiro + Claire Healy (NSW), Tamara Dean (NSW), Tim Edwards (SA), Emily Floyd (VIC), Hayden Fowler (NSW), Julie Gough (TAS), Ghostpatrol (VIC), Amos Gebhardt (VIC), Timothy Horn (VIC), Louise Hearman (VIC), Ken Family Collaborative (SA), Lindy Lee (NSW), Khai Liew (SA), Angelica Mesiti (NSW), Patrick Pound (VIC), Patricia Piccinini (VIC), Pip + Pop (WA), Khaled Sabsabi (NSW), Nike Savvas (NSW), Christian Thompson (VIC), John R Walker (NSW) and Douglas Watkin (QLD).

Titled Divided Worlds, the 2018 Adelaide Biennial presents an allegory of human society, one that meditates on the drama of the cosmos and evolution; on the past and the future; and on beauty and the environment.

Erica Green says, 'the curatorial premise, divided worlds, recognises that we live in troubled times, however, rather than foretelling conflict, my focus has been on assembling an exhibition that celebrates the enduring role of art and culture. Divided Worlds offers an opportunity to experience an alternative dimension -one where "difference" is the natural order of things, and a strength to be celebrated.'

Extending across Adelaide's cultural precinct, North Terrace, the 2018 Adelaide Biennial will be presented at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art at the University of South Australia, JamFactory and Santos Museum of Economic Botany in the Adelaide Botanic Garden.

The 2018 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Divided Worlds runs from 3 March to 3 June 2018 as part of the Adelaide Festival. For further information visit adelaidebiennial.com.au.

Known for its risk taking and expansive vision, the Adelaide Biennial has demonstrated a significant and sustained practice for more than a quarter of a century. Inaugurated in 1990, it is the country's longest-running survey of contemporary Australian art and an important platform for Australian artists to realise new works and projects of a scale that require an institutional context for their conception, realisation and presentation. The Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art has had a lasting impact on Australian art, on the professional reputation of artists and arts professionals, and on the state of South Australia as a wellspring for contemporary art.

Erica Green is founding Director of the Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, established in 2007 at the University of South Australia, Adelaide. Green has a host of commissioned projects, major exhibitions and publications to her credit including curating or managing over 100 original exhibitions. As director of the Samstag Museum of Art she is responsible for commissioning and developing the Museum's exhibitions and public programs. She additionally manages the University Art Collection and the prestigious Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarships program.

Pictured: Tamara Dean, born 1976, Sydney, Elephant ear (Alocasia odora) in Autumn from the series In our nature, 2017, pure pigment print on cotton rag, 45 x 60cm; Courtesy of the artist and Martin Browne Contemporary. This work was made in April 2017 in the Adelaide Botanic Garden.