Presence and Presencing: Conserving and Curating Indigenous Art from Australia

This event was recorded. Please view the lecture here.

With works drawn from public and private collections in Australia and the United States, Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia explores the ways in which time is folded into Indigenous, artistic, social, historical, and philosophical life. The exhibition features many works never seen outside Australia.

To prepare for the exhibition, the analytical laboratory of the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at the Harvard Art Museums, a world leader in conservation and conservation science, carried out the first-ever large-scale technical examination of traditional Aboriginal bark paintings. Understanding the materials used by the artists helped provide enormous insight into the long-standing practices and traditions of Indigenous painting.

In this lecture, Narayan Khandekar, director of the Straus Center, and Stephen Gilchrist, Australian Studies Visiting Curator at the Harvard Art Museums and curator of the exhibition, will discuss the material practices of the artists featured in Everywhen, as well as the curatorial strategies of the exhibition.

Free admission

The lecture will take place in Menschel Hall, Lower Level.
 
This lecture is presented in conjunction with Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia, on view at the Harvard Art Museums from February 5 through September 18, 2016.

Modern and contemporary art programs at the Harvard Art Museums are made possible in part by generous support from the Emily Rauh Pulitzer and Joseph Pulitzer, Jr., Fund for Modern and Contemporary Art.

Lead support for Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia and related research has been provided by the Harvard Committee on Australian Studies. The exhibition is supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Consulate-General, New York.