The selected artists are: Hiromi Tango; Jessie Bullivant; Kiron Robinson; Steven Rhall; Willurai Kirkbright; Sanné Mestrom and Jamie Hall from The Mechanic's Institute; Isobel Knowles and Van Sowerwine; Jason Maling and Martyn Coutts from Field Theory; Will Foster from A Centre for Everything and Timothy Moore from SIBLING.
More than 150 artists from around Australia applied to take part in the Public Art Melbourne Biennial Lab: an experimental temporary art project run by the City of Melbourne which will result in major new public art installations at the Queen Victoria Market (QVM), coinciding with the Melbourne Festival in October.
These artists will spend two weeks in June developing their ideas in an intensive laboratory setting at QVM convened by Claire Doherty MBE, Director, Situations, and Professor David Cross, Deakin University.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the presence of the artists and the subsequent commissions would attract more visitors to the market and add to its unique character.
"Melbourne has a long and proud history of fostering artistic talent and I'm pleased that the Public Art Melbourne Biennial Lab will be based at such a significant site as QVM," the Lord Mayor said.
Chair of the Arts and Culture Portfolio Councillor Rohan Leppert said the Biennial Lab gives selected artists an unparalleled opportunity to develop their practice.
"Under the guidance of some of the world's most renowned arts experts, these artists will create works that provoke thought and discussion around 21st century public art," Councillor Leppert said.
Claire Doherty outlined her principles of public art in a provocative manifesto, New Rules for Public Art, published in 2013.
"Believe in the quiet, unexpected encounter as much as the magic of the mass spectacle. It's often in the silence of a solitary moment, or in a shared moment of recognition, rather than the exhilaration of whizzes and bangs, that transformation occurs," wrote Ms Doherty.
Claire Doherty will lead a conversation about extraordinary encounters in public spaces, including commissioning public art works, working with artists and major projects, at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne on Tuesday 14 June. This event is presented by the City of Melbourne in partnership with the Wheeler Centre and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
For more information see the Biennial Lab website.