A conversation between Ian McLean, Helen Hughes and Tristen Harwood was the occasion for the launch of Double Nation: A History of Australian Art, the recently published book by McLean in our Melbourne gallery on 22 June. In turning the received ideas of both Australian and contemporary art on its head, the Indigenous contemporary art movement forced a new future for Australian art history (as well as contemporary art history). Once having no place in the idea of Australian art, Indigenous themes are now a central concern. McLean, recently retired inaugural Hugh Ramsay Chair of Australian Art History at the University of Melbourne, was among the first-generation of art historians to engage with this challenge and today, the next generation of art historians, including Hughes, a mid-career art historian and Harwood who is currently undertaking a PhD, are applying fresh approaches to this important task.
Helen Hughes is a senior lecturer in Art History, Theory & Curating and Deputy Head of the Fine Art department at Monash University.
Tristen Harwood (Ngalakgan) is an Indigenous writer and PhD student. He teaches in Critical & Theoretical Studies at the Victorian College of Arts.
It was a pleasure to welcome all three speakers to our gallery for a discussion about the future of Australian art history.
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Video: @gd.content
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