WEEK2 PLATFORMS AND ORGANISATIONS
Week 2’s exploration of curatorial platforms and organisations profoundly reshaped my understanding of how art institutions operate within and against systems of power. The tension between centre and periphery (as described by Dorothee Richter) became a recurring theme that challenged my interrogation of my own curatorial assumptions.
Art and culture provide the possibility of influencing ideological perspectives, so we should use this space of representation in a thoughtful way.
Kolb, R., E. Krivanek, C. Regli, et al. “Centres/Peripheries–Complex Constellations.” 2019.
For example, the radical art of Richard Bell and proppaNOW is rooted in Indigenous resistance and exemplifies how marginalised voices can reclaim institutional space. Initially, I planned a traditional gallery exhibition, but researching Blakfella’s subversion of colonial symbols such as the yellow heart flag inspired me to incorporate community workshops where participants co-create artworks, thereby subverting the curator-as-author model.
Members of Indigenous art collective proppaNOW (from left) Gordon Hookey, Jennifer Herd, Tony Albert, Megan Cope, Richard Bell and Vernon Ah Kee. The Brisbane-based artists have won the prestigious 2022–2024 Jane Lombard Prize for Art and Social Justice. Photograph: Rhett Hammerton/proppaNOW.
Criticisms of biennials (from Claire Fontaine’s anti-capitalist interventions to the state-controlled avant-garde of the Shanghai Biennale) reveal the paradox of the ‘hegemonic machine’ masquerading as a radical platform. In response, our group mentioned the possibility of adopting a nomadic exhibition format. By rotating exhibitions in underserved communities.
The most illuminating takeaway from the piracy ethos of UbuWeb and the failure of Mike Kelley’s Mobile Homestead is that the critique of agency must extend from theory to material practice. For my project, this means publicly documenting budgetary constraints and audience objections as part of the exhibition narrative. At the same time, our collective will employ Franklin Ancient Furnace’s archival strategy of preserving ephemeral collaborations in subsequent events, treating gaps and compromises as key elements. Each peer’s discourse will be honoured equally and the results shared.
Franklin Furnace. Franklin Furnace. Accessed January 24, 2025. https://franklinfurnace.org/.
References
Franklin Furnace. Franklin Furnace. Accessed January 24, 2025. https://franklinfurnace.org/.
Kolb, R., E. Krivanek, C. Regli, et al. “Centres/Peripheries–Complex Constellations.” 2019.
The Guardian. “Brisbane-Based Indigenous Art Collective proppaNOW Wins Prestigious Global Prize.” October 21, 2022. Accessed January 24, 2025. https://www.veralistcenter.org/announcement/the-guardian-brisbane-based-indigenous-art-collective-proppanow-wins-prestigious-global-prize.
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