The reality of being a contemporary artist working in Australia is that you’re likely to need a supplementary income. Many artists choose to work as a gallery technician supporting the installation of new exhibitions in public and private galleries.
Bundoora Homestead Art Centre is showcasing a selection of works by such artists in the exhibition Technician’s Choice.
In the exhibition, the role of the curator is called into question and the artists/gallery technicians are invited to democratically determine where their work should be installed and how.
Claire Watson Curator of the Homestead explains: ‘I’m interested in interrogating the voice of the curator and finding ways to question perceived boundaries and the nature of authority within the gallery system. The exhibition explores the role of the curator as well as the realities of being an artist and supplementing one’s livelihood within the art industry. We love working with artists and empowering them to see the gallery as their space. I’m not interested in overtly dictating terms and conditions so long as the integrity of the exhibition concept is powerful and succinct. I’m looking forward to watching their vision for the project unfold when they meet together during the installation process.’
As part of the exhibition the artists involved have provided responses to the following questions:
- What type of work do you prefer to install?
- What is the biggest challenge when hanging art?
- How does your work as a technician influence your work as an artist?
Their answers are surprising and illuminate an often unnoticed aspect of the mechanisms of art galleries.
The artists featured in Technician’s Choice are: Fergus Binns, Nicole Breedon, Christian Bishop, Tony Cran, Beau Emmett, Carly Fischer, Anna Higgins, Shannon Lyons, Jordan Marani, David Mutch, Mira Oosterweghel, Steven Rendall, Bryan Spier and Ross Taylor.