Gertrude is delighted to congratulate Artistic Director Mark Feary on his appointment as Curator of the 2028 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, organised by the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA). Established in 1990, the Adelaide Biennial is Australia’s longest running survey of contemporary Australian art. Known for its risk taking and expansive vision, each iteration of the Adelaide Biennial responds to a different theme or premise. Featuring the latest works of art by leading contemporary artists from all corners of the country, the Adelaide Biennial is defined by experimentation and innovation and is known for its role in accelerating the careers and profiles of Australian artists.
Marking the 20th iteration, the exhibition will run from 3 March to 4 June 2028, presented as part of the 2028 Adelaide Festival at the Art Gallery of South Australia.
The judging panel was unanimous in selecting Feary from a competitive range of applications from across Australia. The 2028 Adelaide Biennial selection panel comprised Hetti Perkins, Head Curator, Desert Mob; Matthew Lutton OAM, Artistic Director, Adelaide Festival; Daniela Valmorbida, Chair, Biennial Ambassadors Committee; Leigh Robb, Curator, Contemporary Art, AGSA; and Jason Smith, Director, AGSA.
'I am honoured to have been invited to develop the 2028 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art and would like to sincerely thank Jason Smith and all of the members of the selection committee for their support and vision. The Adelaide Biennial has been a series of defining cornerstones for me as a curator, since first visiting Charlotte Day and Sarah Tutton's Before and After Science in 2010, with each edition defining a particular moment in and view of Australian culture, and each etched into the nation's art history. My research trajectory for the 2028 edition will be focussed upon capturing a particular mood, acknowledging problematic histories, and an increasingly uncertain and turbulent present, but motivated by the persistence of optimism,' says Feary.
Feary's appointment comes following the June closure of the 2026 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Yield Strength, curated by Ellie Buttrose. Yield Strength assembled twenty-four leading Australian artists with works that revealed how materials, selfhood and society are tested, and transformed, under pressure.
Aotearoa New Zealand-born curator Feary brings more than twenty years of curatorial experience across contemporary art centres, universities, museums and artist-led initiatives, including his current position as Artistic Director of Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne, and former roles at the Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney; Artspace, Sydney; Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Tokyo; Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne; and West Space, Melbourne.