Since entering the international fine arts market in the 1970s, Indigenous Australian art has long contended with its positioning within a system that — until very recently — was ascribed to an...Show moreSince entering the international fine arts market in the 1970s, Indigenous Australian art has long contended with its positioning within a system that — until very recently — was ascribed to an exhibitionary method based on Western epistemology only. Debates surrounding the display of so-called ‘non-Western’ art and its place in modernity and the fine arts institution have produced several responses in the form of curatorial strategies. These strategies have emerged both in light of an increasing public awareness of the role of the curator in the representation of culture, and in the context of the museum as an inherently contentious space of knowledge construction. This thesis centres on the identification of these strategies, and its usage in four case studies. These case studies include the exhibitions fluent (1997), held at the 47th Venice Biennale, Theme Park (2008) at the Museum of Contemporary Aboriginal Art (AAMU), Indigenous Australia: Enduring Civilisation (2015), held at the British Museum and Frontier Imaginaries (2015 - ongoing), a travelling exhibition. By evaluating the applications of these strategies, this thesis sheds light on the manner in which curatorial strategies have formed the display of contemporary Indigenous art, and further highlights potentially impactful developments in the field of contemporary curation.Show less
This thesis examines the role and function of art collections in corporations such as banks. The study focuses on the Icelandic banks, Arion Banki, Landsbanki and Íslandsbanki using ABN AMRO Bank...Show moreThis thesis examines the role and function of art collections in corporations such as banks. The study focuses on the Icelandic banks, Arion Banki, Landsbanki and Íslandsbanki using ABN AMRO Bank in the Netherlands as a comparison. For this examination the three main reasons corporations give for collecting art are discussed; employee well-being, corporate image and corporate social responsibility. By using available research and interviews conducted with the case studies, it became evident, that if a company is serious about its art collection and would like to utilize it further than simply as mere wall decoration, it could be fruitful to employ an in-house curator with an art degree who can communicate with employees and other stakeholders about the art. By utilizing the art in a professional manner, it can have positive effect on employees moral and productivity, portray a positive corporate image and help to fulfill a corporation´s social responsibility by making their art collection (which often includes heritage artworks) available for the public and by contributing to the arts economy.Show less
Using three different national representations from the 55th Venice Biennale as case studies, this thesis investigates the complexities of post Yugoslav national identities as articulated through...Show moreUsing three different national representations from the 55th Venice Biennale as case studies, this thesis investigates the complexities of post Yugoslav national identities as articulated through different positions and experiences of their makers. Through the examination of individual local and state narratives across selected post Yugoslav states (Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo), I ask whether we can begin to see a larger picture of the region in question, in the process that Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak refers to as “learning to speak to”.Show less
Over the last thirty years, the globalization debate within the (contemporary) art discourse has gained and generated a lot of attention. However, in 2015, a real change has yet to happen. In this...Show moreOver the last thirty years, the globalization debate within the (contemporary) art discourse has gained and generated a lot of attention. However, in 2015, a real change has yet to happen. In this thesis I will lay out the debate, as well as look at how the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the Tropenmuseum relate themselves to not only the discussion of globalization, but also to contemporary art with a global outlook (e.g. art from all over the world, as well as art that critically looks at the discussion of 'non-Western' art within art history). Even though the debate is going on for thirty years, the same questions are being asked, but what has really changed?Show less
