Media Release: The Ian Potter Moving Image Commission launched
ACMI and The Ian Potter Cultural Trust join forces on Australia's biggest commission of contemporary moving image art
30 June 2012
The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) and The Ian Potter Cultural Trust today announced a partnership to create Australia’s most significant long term commissioning program of new contemporary moving image art by Australian artists.
The biennial Ian Potter Moving Image Commission with ACMI is a ten-year commitment to the commissioning of moving image works by mid-career Australian artists, representing the most significant single investment in moving image practice in Australia.
ACMI Director, Tony Sweeney, said the collaboration represents a landmark investment in the commissioning and exhibition of contemporary moving image art in Australia by Australians.
“I’m thrilled at this collaboration with the The Ian Potter Cultural Trust, which represents a truly extraordinary commitment to the commissioning of new moving image works by leading Australian contemporary artists. This shared commitment to a decade-long series of commissions enables us to drive genuine boundary-pushing in the field of contemporary art, as well supporting individual artists’ creative
growth and development,” Mr Sweeney said.
Lady Potter AC, Trustee of The Ian Potter Cultural Trust, said the commissioning of moving image artists is a particularly exciting development in the Ian Potter Arts Commissions series.
“This is a dynamic new direction for our commissioning program and we are delighted to be working in partnership with ACMI. Digital technologies are giving this art form renewed momentum and currency. More and more galleries are expanding their collections to find ways to showcase the beautiful, engaging works that are being produced,” Lady Potter said.
The Ian Potter Moving Image Commissions at $100,000 each will recognise and support Australian artists and provide a platform for their career advancement. Importantly, the works will be showcased at ACMI and may ultimately become part of its Collection to be enjoyed by audiences for years to come.
ACMI Board President, the Hon. John Thwaites, said the program will be two pronged - providing financial support through the Trust matched to highly specialised curatorial, production and exhibition expertise through ACMI.
“The commissioning and exhibition of these new works will push the boundaries of, and strengthen, local artistic practice, and allow us as a major cultural institution to celebrate remarkable Australian artists and their work in the context of global creative practice. It will also cultivate a greater understanding of, and engagement with, contemporary moving image practice within Australia and beyond,” Mr
Thwaites said.
An edition of the work may also enter the ACMI Collection to sit alongside works by major Australian and international artists including Johan Grimonprez, Mona Hatoum, Gary Hill, Chris Marker, Anthony McCall, Tony Oursler, Nam June Paik, Patricia Piccinini, Alexander Sokurov and Bill Viola.
The commissions will be granted through an open Expression of Interest (EOI) process and the selected artist will be commissioned to make an ambitious new work of scale, profile and complexity, which will be presented as part of ACMI’s high profile national and international exhibition program. Full details of the program, including the EOI will be announced in late July. Applications will be open to mid-career
Australian artists living at home and abroad.
About The Ian Potter Cultural Trust
The Ian Potter Cultural Trust was established in 1993 by The Ian Potter Foundation to encourage and support diversity and excellence among emerging Australian artists. The Trust’s funding is governed by a commitment to excellence: it seeks to support individuals who are passionate about their work and have the potential to be outstanding in their field. The Trust’s main funding stream offers grants to assist early career artists of exceptional talent to undertake professional development, usually overseas. To date more than 1,100 artists have received grants totalling over $4.5 million.The Ian Potter Arts Commissions represent the Trust’s flagship award, complementing the main ongoing program of grants for individual artists. The Moving Image Commissions are the Trust’s third major commissions program, following Music (composition) and Sculpture.
About ACMI
A globally unique cultural institution located at the heart of Melbourne’s iconic Federation Square, ACMI presents and champions the art and culture of the moving image, inspiring people to engage richly with screen practice as it evolves globally and locally. Through a vibrant annual calendar of award-winning exhibitions, screenings, film festivals, live events, creative workshops, education programs and Collection resources, ACMI provides a wide diversity of audiences with an unsurpassed range of ways to engage with the moving image.
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