Fragmentos

Curatorial Aims and Objectives: Fragmentos was a curated exhibition (or expose) of 13 contemporary Australian artists. It was presented at the upstairs gallery at the Escuela Activa de fotografia in Cuernavaca, Morelos in Mexico. The curatorial objective was to present small samples or fragments from the creative practice of a number Australian artists. It would therefore act as introduction to their broader practice and as a way of representing the diverse range of creative explorations by a number contemporary, mostly Melbourne based Australian artists. These artists were selected on the basis of their diverse and often conceptual approaches to art making. All the artists have an established practice in the arts and their work reflects an experimental and investigative approach to materials and processes as well as exploring a wide range of conceptual and thematic concerns. Visitors to the Fragmentos exhibition were primarily local Mexican artists, art students and academics and members of the general public. The gallery is located in the heart of a photography school in central Cuernavaca but the students are engaged in a wide range of practices and the local arts community is vibrant and divers. Many of the works presented in this exhibition invited audience interaction and even the opportunity to contribute to the works providing a connection to the Australian artists involved and as a way of demystifying the ideas behind the works. One of the main curatorial objectives was to create a sense of connection and dialogue between local Mexican artists and the works. By offering samples and fragments, some of which were from unfinished work (in development) the audience could have an experience which was akin to visiting an artists studio or at least seeing something from behind the scenes This gives a sense of the artists as people, which is often not the case with highly resolved and finished works of art, displayed in a white cube. To facilitate this sense of discovery I made a number of small tables using builders timber work horses with a simple ply wood top to act as benches on which the artists work could be placed and to suggest the idea of things being in a transitional stage and undergoing and development. Also, the inclusion of pin boards, magnifying glasses, G Clamps were used during the installation to invoke this sense of workshop or studio. The works were very well received and I gave a number of public talks and presentation to student groups as well as after hour’s appointments to discuss the exhibition with various academics. The project has also generated some new engagements between Mexican and Australian artists with at least 3 outcomes emerging.