Art and Appropriation Post The Apology Symposium

The symposium Art and Appropriation Post The Apology will draw together diverse voices - including those of artists, academics and curators - to discuss the issues surrounding Indigenous art and appropriation in the new context of the Australian government's apology to the Stolen Generations, and nearly ten years after the decade-long formal reconciliation process.

Art and Appropriation Post The Apology will be a forum for discussion of questions along the following lines:

Have events in political, social and visual arts realms changed the terrain of the debate, or are initial goals yet to be realised?

.  With the increasing abundance of Indigenous imagery in Australian culture, what are appropriate ways for non-Indigenous artists and curators to engage with this material? Is it more acceptable for a non-Indigenous artist to draw inspiration from Indigenous artists if the resulting work may be characterised as abstraction rather than representation?

.  The protocols for working with Indigenous artists and cultural products have been republished; but does the case for these protocols need to be remade?

.  For what reasons would we limit artistic expression and the curatorial presentation of it? Does Reconciliation demand a local variation of Western art practices OR if Reconciliation is achieved, will the need for limitations on hybrid practice fall away?

.   Why would we privilege Indigenous art over that of other cultures whose cultural values might be transgressed or other religions who might find particular works blasphemous?

Convened by curator Margaret Farmer, the symposium is supported by UNSW’s Centre for Contemporary Art and Politics, Ivan Dougherty Gallery, and ArtsNSW.

REGISTRATION: Please register for this event using the form available from http://cofa.unsw.edu.au/research/centres/ccap/events/