'Meteorwrongs' and murder at sea: Meet the next generation of Australia artists

This year's Primavera exhibition in Australia features young artists who are exploring the theme of history and its remnants. Curator Antares Wells found that many of the emerging artists she met were interested in working with archives and records of the past. One of the featured works is Callum McGrath's History Piece, which delves into a queer love triangle that ended in the murder of 19-year-old stoker John "Jack" Joseph Riley in 1942 aboard the naval ship HMAS Australia II.

The incident led to complex legal proceedings, during which the homosexual element of the story was initially suppressed by authorities. McGrath discovered a confession letter written by the victim to a surgeon, which was left out of the court proceedings. By incorporating this letter into his artwork, McGrath aims to shed light on the intersection of queer history, power, and politics.

Another artist, Linda Sok, focuses on the Cambodian pidan silk weaving tradition, which was almost entirely eradicated during the Khmer Rouge regime. Sok found archival cards describing lost pidans in the National Museum of Cambodia and collaborated with her family in Cambodia to recreate these lost textile designs. Sok's work highlights the fragmented and imperfect nature of historical records, as well as the importance of preserving cultural heritage.

Jack Wansbrough, a Boorloo/Perth-based artist, examines the concept of "meteorwrongs" – objects mistaken for meteorites by the public. These items are often sent to science museums for analysis, only to be dismissed as ordinary rocks or industrial debris. Wansbrough has studied an archive cataloguing museum correspondence on meteorwrongs, seeking to recreate or reinterpret these objects.

By categorizing meteorwrongs as "waste" with inherent life and personality, Wansbrough encourages viewers to reconsider the value of discarded materials and the stories they hold.