Local creativity and colour showcased in new MAC yapang exhibition

Published on 07 August 2024

Local artist Shân Primrose says her vibrant works reflect her identity: colourful, weird and deeply entrenched in her lived experiences as a Burmese-Australian woman.

Fresh from featuring on a new range of apparel by Australian fashion brand Dangerfield, Primrose’s art is set to be hung in the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang, from Friday as part of an exhibition showcasing the work of 18 local artists.

MAC yapang Curator Jasmine Kean said Alternating the Cube’s artists all came from the Hunter Region and ran their own artist spaces.

“This exhibition is a rare opportunity to see these diverse talents come together in one place,” she said.

“It will investigate how models of the ‘artist run space’ are a distinct alternative to the art institution. These models are a crucial step for many artists to gain critique, grow and contribute to their field.”

Primrose said her art contained a number of repeating motifs and themes, including identity, family, Burmese and Australian cultural practices, religion, sport and nostalgia.

“I’m extremely honoured to have been invited to show in this exhibition,” she said.

“I’m so passionate about giving emerging artists alternative paths to access the art world. Alternating the Cube’s artists all came from the Hunter Region and either run their own spaces, or rent spaces run by artists.”

In between contributing art to the Dangerfield collection, preparing for the MAC yapang exhibition and putting the finishing touches to a colourful café mural in Gateshead, Primrose is preparing for her own solo exhibition in 2025.

So what inspires her to stay motivated and creative with so many balls in the air at once?

“Other creative people who are unapologetically themselves and use their creativity to enhance the lives of those less privileged,” she said.

Other featured Alternating the Cube artists include: Dino Consalvo, Virginia Cuppaidge, Michelle Gearin, Ellie Hannon, Holly Leonardson, Jaymie Maley, Patrick Mavety, Dan Nelson, Olivia Parsonage, Brett Piva, Braddon Snape, Melody Suranyi, Michelle Teear, Lezlie Tilley, Meg Walters, Ahn Wells and Graham Wilson.

The community is invited to come along and meet the artists at the exhibition opening on Friday 9 August from 6-8pm. 

Image: artist Shan Primrose in front of one of her murals.