This thesis critically examines
site-specific art projects in Australian museums from the late 1960s
onwards. Despite the fact that
site-specific art practice is relatively widespread, there have been few
in-depth or systematic studies published on this subject, particularly in terms
of its historical and theoretical foundations. More importantly, there have been no in-depth studies
explicitly on Australian site-specific
art, and so my research aims to extend the existing knowledge on this art form
while applying it to an Australian context.
Because the site-specific field
is vast, I narrowed my research to focus on artworks located in museums,
including art, natural history, cultural history museums, historic houses and
sites, and botanic gardens. The
inclusion of such a wide range of museums is in part due to the fact that the
artistic projects in these institutions vary greatly. Additionally, the comparisons between
art museums, and those in which art is a (usually) temporary visitor reveal
certain aspects of Australian culture, values and colonial history, than
discussing art museums alone. The
title, ‘the museum as art’, refers to the role of the museum as site, subject
and medium in the site-specific works of art under examination. It reinforces
the significant relationship and dialogue with the museum in question - the
museum is an integral part of the artwork.
The key aim of this thesis is to identify
and critically analyse significant site-specific art projects undertaken in
Australian museums by both local and international artists. I also critique existing theoretical
writings about site-specific art, particularly the paradigms established by
Miwon Kwon and James Meyer and devise my own working models as applicable to
museum-based site-specific art.
The aim is not to replace these paradigms, but to expand on existing
models using local and more recent examples. Although this thesis focuses on Australian site-specific art
practice, and the way in which Australian museums construct knowledge and reflect
national values, my models are equally relevant to international museums.
The chapters in this thesis are
arranged thematically, centred around significant art examples which are in
turn used to illustrate wider issues relating to site-specific art
practice. In analysing a large
number of art projects, I have observed a range of strategies used by artists working
in museums. Firstly, an artwork may respond to the physical or spatial aspects
of the museum. Artworks also
frequently interact with a museum’s collection or archives, or question the
institution’s representation of history or social constructions of nature. Others mimic museum classification
strategies or highlight ingrained display methods that have become normalised,
almost invisible, to the average visitor. More functionally, the work might be used by curators to
enliven tired museum spaces or communicate aspects of history poetically,
allowing for speculative histories or subjective responses – methods unavailable
to regular historians. Lastly, an
artwork may seek to preserve intangible heritage or highlight gaps in knowledge
or history, particularly when it comes to the representation of Aboriginal
Australians or women.
I argue that current
site-specific art practice reflects a move away from the Modernist frame,
illustrated by the growing popularity of non-art museum sites and converted
ex-industrial ‘raw’ spaces, particularly since the mid-1990s. Theorists such as Kwon and Meyer tend
to ignore the pre-Modernist philosophy towards art, where art frequently sat in
dialogue with the site. However, contemporary
site-specific art practice, although distinctly different to the pre-Modern
site/art relationship, indicates an acknowledgment and celebration of the
unavoidable influence of exhibition environments on works of art.
At the start of this research, I
questioned the notion of an ‘Australian art’; however, I can now demonstrate
that site-specific art, more than any other art form, has the ability to
address distinctly Australian concerns. It can reveal how a nation’s museums not only reflect, but
also develop and promote particular values and knowledge. The very marginality of art practice
makes it an ideal method in which to critically examine cultural assumptions
and norms, and despite the risk of site-specific art projects becoming a form
of institutionalised institutional critique, I have demonstrated how artworks
can question institutional authority and highlight gaps in knowledge in a way
that curators, historians and museum directors simply cannot. By recording a range of artistic
interventions in Australia’s public museums, and analysing them in relation to
both existing site-specific theories as well as my new extended models, this
thesis demonstrates not only the complexities of site-specific art practice,
but also the role that art can play in interpreting, challenging and
re-presenting existing knowledge as mediated by the museum.
