UQ Art Museum will encourage deeper engagement across the University with a new-look 2019 program of immersive artwork, artist-conceived installations and the reinterpreting of the University’s art collection.
Senior Curator Peta Rake said the new program titled Unlearning would provide a less frenetic conversation around art and culture across an extended period, rather than the more traditional three-monthly rotation of exhibitions and themes.
“Unlearning is about embracing the idea of ‘not knowing’ with empathy and curiosity – and provides an opportunity for UQ Art Museum to rethink institutional practice,” she said.
“During 2019 and beyond, we’ll be calling on artists, the University and our community to help us think about a range of topics, including labour, repose, memory, history, improvisation and making, as potential ways to ‘unlearn’.
2019 Program: Unlearning from UQ Art Museum on Vimeo.
The program includes commissions with Sydney artist Lara Merrett and Brisbane’s Elizabeth Willing, an exhibition of Collection works curated by Freja Carmichael, an immersive installation by Jacobus Capone, and Wall Painting, a project conceived by renowned American conceptual artist John Baldessari.
“Woven through these projects will be a stream of practical opportunities for our students that will not only enhance their career prospects but will also help shape their view of the world.”
Associate Director Dr Holly Arden said the 2019 program aligned with the university setting, where more in-depth, considered conversations and research took place.
“As a university art museum, we’re in a unique position to use art as the medium to question what we as a contemporary society are doing culturally, and to invite artists, researchers and the campus to explore exciting new ideas and their implications,” Dr Arden said.
“Art and culture are an absolutely crucial part of a holistic education and while increasingly, creativity is considered to be a key attribute for graduates, the means to acquire it is often associated with innovation and digital literacy.
“We see an enormous opportunity to boost the graduate prospects for UQ students from all walks of life through a range of immersive, contemplative and critical experiences at the Art Museum.”
Unlearning is the first in a series of multi-year research inquiries titled An Art Museum in Several Acts that will investigate and articulate the role of the Art Museum in university and artistic contexts.
Details of the 2019 program are available from the UQ Art Museum website.
