News • Announcement
Leyla Stevens co-commission with Artspace and Art Gallery of New South Wales
We are proud to announce that Leyla Stevens is the first artist to be selected for a new ongoing, annual co-commission between the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Artspace.
The partnership supports an artist or collective from Artspace's One Year Studio Program to develop a new work for presentation at the Art Gallery, as part of the new Contemporary Projects series, in collaboration with curators from both institutions.
Leyla Stevens is an Australian-Balinese artist whose films and photographs uncover alternative histories, including of people, rituals and objects connected to the Indonesian island of Bali. Opening at the Art Gallery in November, Stevens’ exhibition is part of a new Contemporary Projects series, which highlights the work of emerging and mid-career artists from New South Wales. The series begins with exhibitions by Jelena Telecki in March and Emily Hunt in June. In this exhibition, Stevens will present new multimedia work exploring Bali's natural world, as told through an overlooked collection of Balinese ink paintings.
Artspace Executive Director, Alexie Glass-Kantor said:
'We are thrilled to be commencing this three-year partnership with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which is unlike any in Australia. In addition to strengthening our connection with our peers, it will enable us to support the artists and collectives in our studio program, whilst also bolstering their impact at this pivotal stage of their careers.'
Art Gallery of New South Wales Director, Michael Brand said: ‘We are delighted to partner with Artspace to realise this exciting, shared initiative, which supports emerging and mid-career artists to further their practice through the creation and presentation of new work. We look forward to collaborating with our colleagues in neighbouring Woolloomooloo to present the first co-commissioned exhibition in the series by 2024 resident studio artist Leyla Stevens later this year and to share her work with our Australian and international audiences.’
Jointly selected by Artspace and the Art Gallery, Stevens is one of ten artists in Artspace's One-Year Studio Program.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales and Artspace gratefully acknowledges the support of Contemporary Projects patrons Andrew and Cathy Cameron.
Read more about the exhibition here