Blurring Boundaries? Confronting Ethnography and Contemporary Art in the Museum
The Courtauld Institute of Art, Vernon Square, Penton Rise, King’s Cross, London
View of the exhibition « Southern Geometries, from Mexico to Patagonia », presented at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, from October 14, 2018 to February 24, 2019. Photo © Luc Boegly
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Wednesday 6 March 2019
PLEASE NOTE: This Date Has Passed
6:30 pm - 8:00 pmLecture Theatre 1, first floor, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Vernon Square, Penton Rise, King’s Cross, London, WC1X 9EW
Speaker
- Professor Nicholas Thomas - Director of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Cambridge, Curator of Oceania, RA
- Professor Haidy Geismar - Professor of Anthropology, UCL
- Sokari Douglas Camp CBE - Artist
- Professor Deborah Swallow (moderator) - Märit Rausing Director of The Courtauld Institute of Art
Organised by
- Martin Caiger-Smith and MA Curating - The Courtauld Institute of Art
Recent exhibitions and permanent displays have brought together a selection of ethnographic objects and contemporary art. Notable examples include the Oceania exhibition at the Royal Academy (2018) and the recently opened Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World at the British Museum.
How can these dialogues between ethnography and contemporary art benefit the visitor’s experience? What are the benefits and challenges that come with such curatorial practice? Can contemporary art contribute to the decolonisation of ethnographic museums and displays? What are the implications of blurring boundaries between ethnography, material culture and fine art?
Join us for a panel debate between curators, artists and academics to discuss the impact and future of ethnographic displays in the UK.
The debate will be followed by a wine reception and an informal discussion.