Curating Australiana: an exhibition in the vernacular Link to the recording of this lecture

The major exhibition Australiana: Designing a Nation sought to survey the iconography of Australiana in art and design through key chapters in our history through to the present day, and to illuminate the distinct creative traditions that have reflected—and changed with—popular notions of Australian identity and style. Curated by and presented exclusively at Bendigo Art Gallery in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria, and drawing upon the collections of The Australiana Fund and other lenders, this expansive exhibition showcased works by over 200 artists and designers across 10 gallery spaces, spanning the visual and decorative arts as well as photography, illustration, furniture, jewellery, moving image and fashion.

In assembling works for the exhibition and interpreting its material, the curators ensured that the rich expressions of culture and connection to Country of First Nations artists and designers foregrounded explorations of national and personal identity by others. Through the use of local materials and motifs, playful remixes of popular culture, and incisive reflections on nationalistic sentiment, the visual language of Australiana was revealed to both celebrate—and interrogate—who we are.

Join exhibition curator Emma Busowsky as she reflects on this project and the curatorial framework behind it.

Image detail from The Australiana Fund Collection: Doulton & Co., 1858–1901, Artist: Florence Barlow, active 1873–1909, Vase, Lambeth, London, England, 1877, stoneware, incised, 21.5 x 12 cm. Purchased 1995. 1995.2. Image © Max Taylor Photographer.