Marking 75 years of New Contemporaries, the annual exhibition returns to the ICA, having had a regular presence here in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and more recently in the 2010s. New Contemporaries is a unique platform, which provides emerging and early career artists with a wider audience to their work. This edition features 35 artists who have been selected through an open call by artists Liz Johnson Artur, Permindar Kaur and Amalia Pica.

The works on show offer an overview of urgent lived concerns, interests and social realities from this generation of artists. Themes include the fluctuations and cycles in the natural world, sustainability and decay; boundaries, borders and fragmented memories; the commodification of mindfulness, self-care, pop culture and consumerism. Other works explore kinship amongst communities, juxtaposed with those that suggest an alienation or ambivalence towards a digitally accelerated world.
 
The exhibiting artists are: Motunrayo Akinola, Libby Bove, Max Boyla, Molly Burrows, Fergus Carmichael, Mya Cavner and Edith Liben, Karen David, Roo Dhissou, Beverley Duckworth, Georgia Dymock, Tom Fairlamb, Farzaneh Ghadyanloo, Sara Graça, Dageong Han, Siomha Harrington, Anna Howard, Fi Isidore, Asmaa Jama and Gouled Ahmed, Laura Kazaroff, AC Larsen, Sophie Lloyd, Hazel O'Sullivan, Sun Oh, Sara Osman, Saul Pankhurst, Varshga Premarasa, Elliott Roy, Millie Shafiee, Sai Stephenson, Valentino Vannini, Joshua Whitaker, Danilo Zocatelli Cesco, and Yang Zou.
 

More info

The exhibition opens at the ICA, following its launch at three venues, KARST, The Levinsky Gallery and MIRROR in Plymouth (28 September – 7 December 2024).
 
For more information on the works exhibited, and to hear introductions from the artists, you can download the Bloomberg Connects app.
 

Access Information

• Limited step-free access to the Upper Gallery. To use the lift, please speak to a member of staff at the Box Office.
• There is a wheelchair-accessible ramp into the Lower Gallery
• We provide Sensory Maps and Large Print Guides, these can be found at the information & sales desk
• Free for visitors where ticket prices are a barrier, please email access@ica.art
If you have other access requirements, need more info, or want to contact us, go to the Access Page

15 January – 23 March 2025 




Exhibition Preview
Tuesday 14 January, 6 – 11pm, Galleries 
Please join us for the opening night of the exhibition. 

NC Live
Saturday 1 February, 3-5pm, Stage
New Contemporaries artists will present new live works as an opportunity to test out a work in progress, experiment or showcase new ideas. 

Ballet for Non-Dancers
Saturday 1 February, 6 – 7.30pm, Stage
Mya Cavner and Edith Liben invite you to discover a new movement practice through visual, verbal, and sonic inspiration. 

NC Film Club
Wednesdays 19 & 26 February, 6.30 - 8.30pm, Cinema 
New Contemporaries and ICA have invited exhibiting artists to select and introduce a film that has been formative, or a reference in their practice. 

Exhibition Tour
Thursday 6 March, 6.45 - 7.30pm, Lower Gallery 
New Contemporaries and ICA curatorial staff lead a tour of the exhibition, discussing overarching themes and concerns across the works on show, as well as individual practices of the artists. 

Young New Contemporaries - Making Space
Saturday 15 March, 2 – 4pm, Snug
Join the Young New Contemporaries artists for this drop-in making session and create your own artwork inspired by the YNC’s practices, and the exhibiting New Contemporaries artists they’ve collaborated with. 

A Vision with Artists
Saturday 15 March, 12 - 6pm, Studio 
An afternoon dedicated to thoughtful and inclusive discussions, that explore the role of artists in society today. Convened by artist and educator Elle Reynolds, this event aims to envision innovative possibilities for an artist-centred and sustainable art world.