Architectural Evolution and the Display of Aboriginal Art at AGNSW
The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) is one of Australia’s essential and significant exhibition centers dedicated to history. The institution was founded in 1871 and took several years to build as it was conceived to house many artistic works. However, the building has recently been modernized with an entirely new Art Nouveau section. The new building was designed by architects Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates (SANAA) and was recognized by the Pritzker Prize as one of the best contemporary designs. Since much has been subject to detailed renovation, it is important to compare how much the exhibitions have been changed, using the example of Aboriginal art, which is present in both versions of the buildings.
Exhibition About Aboriginal Culture in the Old Gallery Building
In the old building, an exhibition dedicated to Aboriginal art was called “Everywhen Everywhere: Aboriginal Art from Ancient Times to Now” and revealed many aspects of their life, creativity, and culture. As the title suggests, this exposition does not have a static temporal passage being considered but instead spans a significant period of history. This allows for a better revealing of the traditions and values of the Aborigines and acquaints visitors to the gallery in more detail with their activities in the past and present. The exhibition curation is thoughtful as it shows works according to their subject matter, environment, and temporality. This approach allows us to demonstrate the work much more qualitatively and explain under what conditions they were created and for what.
At the entrance to the exhibition area, visitors are greeted with video material about the natives and their art. With its help, modern aboriginal artists are shown who talk about the meaning and value of the work of their ancestors for the present and for their people.This helps people with different cultural backgrounds better understand what motives and meanings should have been conveyed through creativity.
This way, the organizers connected the artists and the audience and set the tone for the exhibition. At the same time, such a beginning did not prevent us from competently structuring the entire exhibition space by dividing it into appropriate categories and topics. This helps people to navigate better and understand the differences in thoughts that the natives would like to convey.
The first section is devoted to ancient history and describes the rock paintings of the indigenous peoples of Australia. This section presents a vast body of Aboriginal art at the beginning of the history of human development. At the same time, primitive rock paintings are analyzed and presented to the audience with explanations of their motives and key themes.
The exhibition’s second section is a continuation of the whole story about the art and culture of indigenous peoples. It presents a collection of paintings depicted on tree bark, as well as a large number of carved sculptures. At the same time, each piece of art reflects a specific story from the myths and legends of the natives that they pass on from generation to generation.
Exhibition About Aboriginal Culture in the New Building
In the new building of the Sydney Modern Center, the exhibition dedicated to Aboriginal people and their art differs from the previous sections. In this version, the exhibition is called “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art,” which means it was combined with the art of the Torres Strait people. Nevertheless, this aspect does not worsen the overall perception of the exhibition and does not make it less informative since it contains a more significant number of samples. The cultural diversity of the natives is one of the critical aspects of all the expositions presented here. However, the exhibition curation in the new building significantly differs from what was previously presented.
The first significant difference between the exhibitions in the old building and the new one is that the new version is not thematic. The principle of categorization in this exhibition differs in that art objects are sorted depending on the tools used by representatives of indigenous peoples to create different objects. This also allows visitors to easily navigate the space by separating the paintings, sculptures, and installations into separate locations. Due to this, visitors can contemplate the entire cultural spectrum without being limited to a specific temporal or thematic aspect.
Much attention is paid to the exhibition in the new building, which is devoted to contemporary Aboriginal art and its interpretation. The compositions of “Everywhen Everywhere: Aboriginal Art from Ancient Times to Now” also contain several contemporary works by indigenous artists. However, that exhibition focuses more on the ancient period, rock art, and bark carvings.
At the same time, the modern complex offers visitors an extraordinary glimpse into what Australia’s indigenous peoples do today. The modern complex is more suitable for representing the modern period of cultural and creative activity. In this way, “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art” demonstrates the relevance, vitality, and diversity of contemporary Aboriginal art.
Significant differences between exhibitions also lie in the general approach to managing them. “Everywhen Everywhere: Aboriginal Art from Ancient Times to Now” is more contextual, which means that its ideal perception can be achieved by delving into specific themes and cultural aspects of Aboriginal people. At the same time, an exhibition in a modern complex focuses on the environment and can be perceived separately without being tied to specific events or topics.
In this way, it highlights the diversity and allows for a better understanding of the art of the indigenous peoples of Australia. In addition, such positioning was reflected in the various placements of exhibitions. The old building is located on the first floor, almost near the entrance, which makes it a welcome theme for the entire gallery. In the modern complex, on the contrary, the story about the art of the aborigines is the closing composition, which has some symbolism since they illuminate opposite periods of history.
The location of exhibitions in different buildings can significantly impact how the audience perceives them. The first exhibition can attract more attention because it is located at the entrance to the building and is the first thing visitors see. At the same time, the exhibition dedicated to the contemporary aspects of Indigenous art is in the final stage, meaning fewer people can see it. However, in the end, visiting both exhibitions can produce the desired emotional and cultural effects, as people familiar with the first stages of the development of Aboriginal art will be able to comprehend modern creations in more depth.
Common Aspects in Two Exhibitions
Nevertheless, despite all the differences in the representation of different periods and the general perception of exhibitions in the new and old buildings, they have common motives. First, they lie in the fact that the creators themselves can tell visitors what their art objects mean. Indigenous voices are a transitive element that takes people through all stages of Aboriginal creativity, allowing visitors to learn everything firsthand. The interpretation of materials with unique historical and artistic value is an important aspect that allows people to get to know and understand in more detail what the indigenous peoples wanted to convey to them with their creativity.
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