Mark Feary Appointed Curator of the 2028 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art

The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) has appointed Mark Feary as curator of the 2028 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, taking place from 3 March to 4 June 2028 as part of the Adelaide Festival.

Born in Aotearoa New Zealand and based in Naarm/Melbourne, Feary has more than twenty years of curatorial experience across contemporary art centres, museums, universities and artist-led organisations. Since 2016, he has served as Artistic Director of Gertrude Contemporary, where he oversees its exhibition programme and two-year studio programme.

Feary’s previous roles include positions at the Australian Centre for Photography and Artspace in Sydney, the Centre for Contemporary Photography and West Space in Melbourne, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography. His recent curatorial projects include Polyphonic Reverb (2023), Being, Human Being: UFO Photography (2023), Hope Dies Last: Art at the End of Optimism (2019) and Zzzzz: Sleep, Somnambulism, Madness (2018).

Speaking about his appointment, Feary said his research for the 2028 edition would focus on capturing a particular mood while acknowledging “problematic histories, and an increasingly uncertain and turbulent present,” driven by what he described as “the persistence of optimism.”

Feary was selected unanimously by a panel comprising Hetti Perkins, Head Curator of Desert Mob; Matthew Lutton, Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival; Daniela Valmorbida, Chair of the Biennial Ambassadors Committee; Leigh Robb, Curator of Contemporary Art at AGSA; and Jason Smith, Director of AGSA.

Established in 1990, the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art is the country’s longest-running survey of contemporary Australian art. Presented by AGSA as part of the Adelaide Festival, it has featured almost 500 artists and welcomed more than two million visitors over its 36-year history.

The previous edition, Yield Strength, was curated by Ellie Buttrose and brought together 24 Australian artists exploring how materials, identities and societies are tested and transformed under pressure.

The 2028 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art will take place at the Art Gallery of South Australia from 3 March to 4 June 2028.

Image: Mark Feary. Photo: Tim Herbert.