Making History

Join curator and art historian Lisa Slade to explore how collections shape Australian art history. From bark painting to ceramics, Australian art takes many forms and has many faces. Drawing on works presented in the Collectors Lounge exhibition, all acquired at Sydney Contemporary since 2013, uncover how contemporary works are indebted to Australian art history and, in turn, how these works and their makers are playing a critical role in shaping new histories.

About the Speaker

Professor Lisa Slade is the Hugh Ramsay Chair in Australian Art History in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne. Between 2015 and 2024 she was Assistant Director, Artistic Programs at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Lisa has curated major exhibitions including Vincent Namatjira: Australia in colour, the 2019 Venice Biennale presentation of James Darling and Lesley Forwood’s Living rocks: a fragment of the universe, the 14th Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Magic Object, the national touring exhibitions Quilty and the Tarnanthi: Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art’s Kungka Kunpu (Strong Women).