What story does your exhibition tell? in conTEXT brings together artworks by five contemporary local artists, all who have arrived here from very different places, with different journeys and stories to tell. The artists all use text, or explore language in their artworks, in addressing ideas of displacement and cultural identity.
How does your current exhibition challenge the audience? The art is world-class, conceptual, and poignant; made by Australian artists from refugee or migrant backgrounds. It challenges the audience to encounter their art, share their struggle, and begin to see them as part of our community, not ‘other’.
Why is it important to expose yourself to different art forms and ideas? Art presents ideas in a way that they can be encountered and evoke an emotional response, but it simply exists without beating you over the head with its message – it’s up to you whether you take it or leave it.
What truths do you hope this exhibition exposes? The lesson I learnt in curating this exhibition is the importance of language. I began to consider that perhaps to truly become a multicultural society, we need to learn a little of each other’s languages, or even just understand the context of another language, because language is the basis of thought.
Exploration, expression and taking risks are important within the art world because…Artists are often the pioneers and spokespeople for change. Artists question and explore everything, so it’s the role of curators and institutions to listen and engage with what artists are doing, not dictate the scene to them.
