Kaurna people
South Australia
Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940 is an immersive exhibition celebrating the contributions of more than 50 trailblazing modernist artists. More than 220 artworks are presented across a sequence of richly atmospheric rooms that unfold like a personal diary, inviting visitors on a powerful emotional journey, mirroring the artists’ personal and artistic transformation.Â
Led by a close partnership between the Art Gallery of South Australia and Grieve Gillett Architects, the project was realised through deep collaboration with curators, designers, educators, artists, lenders, creative agencies and media, and in alliance with the Art Gallery of New South Wales. The exhibition provided a platform for new educational resources, workshops, original research and a book, developed in cooperation with contemporary artists. Dangerously Modern demonstrates how cross-disciplinary creative collaboration can extend cultural reach, deepen public engagement and create lasting educational and cultural legacies.Â
Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890-1940 was the first major survey focussing on the vital role of Australian women artists in the creation and transmission of international modernism. This ambitious exhibition and accompanying book added new scholarship this this important area of art history. AGSA’s collaboration with Grieve Gillett Architects afforded audiences the opportunity to step into the lives and art of these extraordinary women.Â
Transforming the contemporary gallery space, GGA’s exhibition design evoked Parisian apartments, Moroccan landscapes, and modernist interiors through bold colour, texture, and form, drawing inspiration directly from the artworks of 50 outstanding women artists.