‘PRIMARY INSTINCTS’ is a group exhibition proudly hosted by the Polish Art Foundation, with its home in Melbourne.

In a world mediated by technology, systems and rational frameworks, artists are invited to interpret the concept of Primary Instincts and reflect on what remains immediate, embodied and unfiltered. Works may explore tensions between control and impulse, nature and artifice, reason and sensation, or the conscious and unconscious.

Artists may respond conceptually, emotionally or physically to the theme of instinct as a driving force in human behaviour and creativity.

The exhibition will feature a wide range of voices and visions. Through painting, drawing, mixed media, photography, video, digital media, installation or interdisciplinary practices, artists are invited to respond, exploring what it means to act, create and exist before logic, before structure, before explanation.

The Polish Art Foundation will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2027. A not-for-profit organisation, it was founded in Melbourne in 1977 and has played a distinctive role in promoting artists of Polish heritage within Australia, while also creating opportunities for artistic exchange between Polish, Australian and broader multicultural communities.

The Foundation emerged from a practical act of support for artists who had recently arrived from Europe at that time, giving rise to an organisation dedicated to cultural connection through contemporary visual art. Today, almost five decades later, the Foundation continues to present thematic exhibitions, workshops, social events and collaborative projects, supporting both established and emerging artists.

Its aims include promoting artists of Polish heritage to the Australian community, collaborating with local Australian artists, encouraging contemporary visual art in all its forms, working with aligned cultural institutions and galleries, and building a collection of works for future generations. For more information including our past exhibition catalogues visit www.polishartfoundation.org.au

Curator: Ms Grazyna Kubic