By Juliana Engberg
One of the challenges when ACCA moved from its small home in the domain to the larger galleries and commission hall at Sturt Street was to manage the integration of local emerging practice with the larger international and ambitious projects within the overall program. I was acutely aware that ACCA lived in context with other contemporary art spaces in Melbourne – Gertrude Street, CCP and Westpace to name a few – and the vibrant ARI network and University galleries. Each of these colleague spaces gave singular opportunities for local artists to make exhibitions and projects in rooms of small to medium scale.
It was important that ACCA did not duplicate activity already in place. In conceiving the NEW series I wanted to create an annual event that recognized the need to elevate emerging practice from its DIY settings by providing a platform of capacity and opportunity – and to introduce that practice to a wider audience. By creating NEW as a set of individual commissions brought together as an ensemble exhibition, we gave strength to the visibility of new contemporary art and established a much anticipated event. One that now exists as a career milestone for many.
It was also important that guest curators would have an opportunity to shape the successive generations of NEW. The NEW series has been a significant curatorial opportunity for curators working within and outside ACCA.
NEW never had ambitions to be a theme exhibition, nor a prize. For us it was important that the opportunities were individually concept driven and equally valued. And we have remained true to this idea. Each year the next crop of NEW is eagerly awaited. It remains one of our most important and most visited seasons.
So far the NEW series has commissioned 94 projects. The NEW Alumni (at 2014) are –
03:Emily Floyd, Christine Morrow, Andrew McQualter, David Rosetzky, Daniel von Sturmer, Louise Weaver; curated by Juliana Engberg
04: Guy Benfield, Nadine Christensen, Anthony Hunt and Steven Honegger, Tom Nicholson, Sangeeta Sandrasegar, and Parekohai Whakamoe; curated by Geraldine Barlow
05: Mutlu Cerkez, Destiny Deacon, Mira Gojak, James Lynch, Kathy Temin, Stuart Ringholt; curated by Max Delany
06: Helen Johnson, Darren Sylvester, Makeshift, Giles Ryder, Laresa Kosloff, Shaun Wilson, Natasha Johns-Messenger; curated by Juliana Engberg
07: Damiano Bertoli, Christian Capurro, Nick Devlin, Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro, Anastasia Klose, Brendan Lee; curated by Juliana Engberg
08: Daniel Argyle, Matt Hinkley, Chris Bond, Paul Knight, Sandra Selig, Gabrielle De Vietri, Jonathan Jones; curated by Anna Macdonald
09: Justine Khamara, Brodie Ellis, Marco Fusinato, Simon Yates, Matthew Griffin, Benjamin Armstrong, Pat Foster and Jen Berean; curated by Charlotte Day
10: Fiona Connor, Alicia Frankovich, Agatha Gothe-Snape, Lou Hubbard, Susan Jacobs, Raafat Ishak, Arlo Mountford; co-curated by Juliana Engberg, Hannah Mathews, Rebecca Coates, Anna Macdonald
11: Fiona Abicare, Rebecca Baumann, Tim Coster, Greatest Hits, Shane Haseman, Mark Hilton, Dan Moynhan, Brendan Van Hek, Justene Williams, Annie Wu; curated by Hannah Mathews
12: Katie Lee, Ross Manning, Angelica Mesiti, Bennett Miller, Kate Mitchell; curated by Jeff Khan
13: Charlie Sofo, Benjamin Forster, Jess MacNeil, Alex Martinis Roe, Sanné Mestrom, Scott Mitchell, Joshua Petherick, Linda Tegg; curated by Charlotte Day
14: Kenny Pittock, Danae Valenza, Taree Mackenzie, Charles Dennington, Daniel McKewen, Andrew Hazewinkel and Jelena Telecki.; curated by Kyla McFarlane
Juliana Engberg is the Artistic Director of ACCA.