l Australian Artists in the Contemporary Museum

Australian artists in the contemporary museum

jennifer Barrett and jacqueline Millner. 2014. Ashgate Publishing Limited ISBN 978-1-4094-4249-3, £27.65, 166 pp, Hardback.

Johanne Mullan

Australian Artists in the Contemporary Museum is a timely and practical assessment of how the contemporary museum works with artists in a multi-faceted manner to recontextualise – reconfront – revitalise historical collections and objects; to engage and target new and old audiences; and to allow the museum to become a site for artistic interventions and dialogue between museum professionals and artists. As staff members of Sydney College of Art the authors are well placed to present a critical analysis of the Australian context.

Focusing on the past twenty years the book aims to evaluate the process and the outcomes for the various stakeholders: the artist, the museum and the audience. Drawing from interviews with over 30 artists, curators and museum professionals, the content has been broken down into four broad areas: artists challenging the museum’s institutional authority; artist examining the construction of history; artist working in curatorial capacities; and artists accenting beauty and sensual engagement in their responses to museums.

Each chapter is well structured and covers an extensive range of collaborative practice from aesthetic interventions to the curatorial. The thematic approach of the book allows the writers to demonstrate and explore the complex relationship between artist and museum: how artists are inspired by museum collections while challenged by the perceived authority of the institution.

A key strength of the publication lies in the extensive research, comprehensive bibliography and documentary evidence. Case studies outline fascinating projects such as the development of a new curatorial approach for the Djamu Gallery (1998 –2000). During this time Director john kirkman gave artists such as Brook Andrew the freedom to question the status quo and bring new thinking to curatorial deliberations about interpretation and display of Indigenous Cultural material held by the Australian Museum.

Although portraying a continuous clash between artistic expression and the reading and presentation of museum collections, the authors do conclude that within this complex and fraught relationship, mutual benefits have evolved. The writers highlight the important contribution artists such as Peter Cripps have made to the discourse of institutional critique in Australia. Among the wealth of examples, the most impressive outcome is where the collaboration has led to changes in institutional practices and artistic approaches. For example, Museum

Victoria appointed a number of artists and granted them relatively free rein to strategize, form industry partnerships and mount projects, as well as undertake research. The authors point to an enhanced institutional capacity to engage with artists and audience as an outcome of these collaborations. The authors also illuminate the potentially conflictual relationship whereby the artist can take risks that museum curators may resist perceiving their role as to explain and conserve while the artist can provoke and confuse. unlikely collaborations can lead to special consequences.

Though obviously written from an Australian perspective, the critique and learning translate to an international audience. The postcolonial backdrop to the case studies can indeed draw parallels with Irish artistic practice. The level and extent of engagement and relationship-building between artists and the contemporary museum in Australia has been evidenced in this publication and serves as a valuable reference point for Irish Museums and artists.

Johanne Mullan is National Programmer at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.