Curatorial Talk at ‘Minstrel Kuik: She who has no self’ exhibition, held at Horsham Regional Art Gallery in 2020, image courtesy of HRAG.
MFA by Research 2019-2024
About my research
My MFA research investigated how curatorial approaches in Australian galleries can frame and shape understandings of contemporary art made by Southeast Asian women. It considered how contemporary curators working with international artists develop an understanding of cultural sensitivities in the public gallery context. I am interested in the role that curators play in interpreting artists’ identities and their artworks when they are from cultures that differ from the curator. The research focused on women artists and in particular photography practices, from some of our closest neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia: Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Photography was important to this study because it is a prominent art form, with new practitioners continuing to emerge from the region.
This research utilised qualitative methods to practice curation and examine my practice among other curators working in the field.
Key words:
Gender, Photography, Curation, Southeast Asia, Australia, Positionality
Research Outputs:
Minstrel Kuik: She who has no self exhibition, held at Horsham Regional Art Gallery in 2020.
Eight qualitative interviews with curators working in the field, that resulted in a comparative study of my practice with two others curators working in Australian galleries.
Future research:
This research reflects my ongoing interest in the representation of women’s photography in Australia and critical analysis of the power relations between the curator and the artist within a gallery setting.