A passion for Primavera

The arts scene has made more than one significant contribution to culture. It is very common to order coffee from an actress, which is then made by a painter and brought to you by a spoken word poet. At the next function you attend, your drinks and nibbles will be circulated by dancers and aspiring rock stars.

Hopefully they will be polite to you. Or they may lose their job. Then they won’t be able to pay the rent. Faced with destitution, impassioned artistes will be forced into the corporate world where their focus will be taken away from creative pursuits. Art will stop being made, music will cease to be played, there will be no more dancing because people are finished with pushing the bounds of creativity. Society will come to a standstill. Perhaps worst of all, there will be nobody to deliver your morning coffee. The world as we know it will come crashing down.

The Museum of Contemporary Art’s (MCA) annual Primavera exhibition kicks off this spring in Sydney’s sunny Circular Quay. This year will feature eight of Australia’s most dynamic emerging young talent, all hand-picked by renowned Australian curator Robert Cook.

“I think people go into the arts knowing that it’s going to be difficult,” Cook says, “and they may have to juggle a few jobs, until there’s time when they can concentrate on their practice full-time. I think everybody in the arts is passionate about supporting emerging talent.”

One of this year’s featured artists, Jackson Eaton, is someone that people never expected to end up working in hospitality.

“I was one of those conscientious students that did things that were more sensible,” he explains.

“After school I went on to do medicine and then I transferred to psychology and then during my postgraduate studies I was doing a PHD. I decided I wasn’t fulfilling my creative needs, so I took some time out and went overseas, and started to take a lot of photos.”

When asked why he chose to do this, he responds with an answer that sums up any creative person’s motivation.

“It doesn’t feel like that’s something I can really articulate. It’s kind of a purpose I suppose. I don’t know what else I’d be doing. It’s just to create, to do things, to do something that makes sense to me more than anything else.”

For someone from such a formal background, Eaton’s work is surprisingly laconic.

“My process is [to] kind of take things from my everyday life. A lot of my work is very autobiographical. It’s directly related or inspired by everyday events that’s happening in my own circumstances in my personal life. I try to approach those things just to explore a core of an experience in them.”

Strangest of all is that his intensive study has actually contributed to a less technical approach.

“I don’t really consider myself the fine arts photographer in that sense. I take inspiration from everyday uses of photography. So I use equipment and an aesthetic sensibility which is connected to the kind of images that we experience in our daily lives. There is a sense of amateurishness to them in the way that I shoot,” says Eaton.

There is always a reason that somebody makes it into Primavera. Eaton’s work has an honesty which fits in well with pop culture sensibilities. However, his sense of fun and cheekiness makes an impact on the audience in an understated way.

Understatement is not a theme for Primavera though. Curator Robert Cook has a reputation for putting together exhibitions that knock people off their feet.

“I had this cute idea in my head that someone could come off one of the boats that pull into the harbour, walk up the stairs, not know anything about art and be totally blown away by the exhibition,” says Cook.

“So I’ve been including artists who I think have a real power to their practice to absolutely hit home with what they do. People who’s work would speak to absolutely everybody. Something immersive, enjoyable, an amazing experience for people. All the artists’ attention to detail is incredible.”

Cook continues, “There is a really great element of giving artists a leg up and it also gives people confidence to commit even harder and further with their practice. So it’s important on many levels.

“I think that’s because of the quality of this institution [MCA]. It is the centre of the art world here so it’s really great for artists to have that opportunity.”

For someone like Eaton this is a very exciting proposition.

“I just had my first look in at things that are being installed. This is the real deal. It’s become very apparent that I’ve made it to the next level today.” (LC)

Primavera 2013, Sep 12-Nov 17, Museum of Contemporary Art, Circular Quay, Free, 9245 2400, mca.com.au