HERENOW 23: In-Between-ness
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Research Statement
Research Background
This curated exhibition, and its associated events, explored notions of Western Australian identity and culture through the perspectives of 10, culturally-diverse artists residing in WA.
Research Contribution
This curated exhibition responded to the question, what does it mean to live in WA from the perspectives, intersectional identities, and lived-experiences of 10, culturally-diverse artists, specifically within the broader context of the Asia-Pacific region?
Research Significance
The significance of this curated exhibition is that it facilitated, collaborative and reciprocal, multimodal dialogue between 10 culturally-diverse artists and the broader pubic. This project expanded intercultural networks and partnerships that in turn led to other, similarly-themed creative projects.
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Description
Herenow is a snapshot of current visual arts practice in Perth, right here and right now! Its focus is provided by an emerging curator keen to develop the complex skills, insights, and sensibilities required to curate an exhibition in a public gallery. Bringing those skills into play and delivering an exhibition that showcases a group of artists whose work they admire and wish to promote is not an easy task. And it is one that is best achieved by doing, in tandem with professional colleagues. Learning the ropes by taking the strain, setting a course, and tackling the challenges that inevitably arise requires courage, commitment, and guidance. Its multiple facets of operation must be coordinated with intricate care. For an aspiring curator, this can be daunting, so the HERE&NOW exhibition series1 was established in 2012 at the ‘Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery’ to provide that experience and enable an emerging curator to capture that vibrancy across current practice within an area of focus within the visual arts. Re-named Herenow, the project moved to Edith Cowan University’s ‘ECU Galleries’ in 2021.
The ECU campus is the perfect venue for experimentation and re-imagining what exhibitions might be and how they can inform, challenge, and provide fresh insights into our world. Within a University that celebrates the diversity of perspectives and creativity of young artists across all disciplines in the arts, Herenow is a window into the energy, excitement, and vision of the next generation of creative individuals who are shaping our world. The added dimension to this project is the vision of an emerging curator with links to a community of artists they know well. As a result, the exhibition showcases their achievements and provides a local context for their practice. For the first Herenow|21 Rose Barton focused on the work of regionally based craft practitioners. And in 2022 Isaac Huggins identified a group of artists “challenging the distinction between art and life by finding beauty in the mundane”. Herenow|22: Outside In explored the possibility of fostering a dialogue about the devastating impact of consumerism and creating a sustainable future for the planet.
Keywords
exhibition, contemporary art, installation, video works, group exhibition, diaspora
Non-Traditional Research Output
Curated Exhibition or Event
Output Type
Non-Traditional Research Output
Evidence of First Exhibition/Presentation
Spectrum Project Space (ECU Galleries)
Place of Publication
Perth, Western Australia
Publication Title
Exhibition floor talk | HERENOW: In-between-ness
Publisher
Edith Cowan University
School
School of Arts and Humanities; ECU Galleries
RAS ID
88282
Links and/or Documentation
Event Title
HERENOW 23: In-Between-ness
Event Dates
2 February - 30 March 2023
Event Venue
Spectrum Project Space (ECU Galleries)
Director
Artist/ Curator | Dr Harrison See
Performers
Artists | Patricia Amorim I Kelsey Ashe I Yvette Dunn-Moses I Marcia Espinosa I Shanti Gelmi I Sue Leeming I Desmond Mah I Leonie Ngahula Mansbridge I Matthew McAlpine I Lea Taylor
Duration
Curated art exhibition and associated events
Comments
See, H. (2023). HERENOW 23: In-Between-ness. [curated exhibition of 10 WA artists]. Spectrum Project Space (ECU Galleries).