Creating ripples on the world stage
UQ alum Ellie Buttrose is putting Australian art in the spotlight as curator for the 2024 Venice Biennale
By Suzanne Parker
Established more than a century ago, the International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale) is one of the world’s most important and influential art exhibitions.
The exhibition is held every 2 years in Italy’s historic Giardini della Biennale precinct in Venice, and regularly attracts more than 830,000 visitors to its showings of globally significant art.
To be part of such an event is no mean feat. But for UQ alum and Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) curator and critic Ellie Buttrose (Bachelor of Arts ’07), who has been chosen to curate Australia’s 25th presentation at the Venice Biennale, working with Kamilaroi/Bigambul artist Archie Moore is perhaps even more significant.
Archie Moore testing Inert State 2022. Image: Chloë Callistemon © QAGOMA
Archie Moore testing Inert State 2022. Image: Chloë Callistemon © QAGOMA
Q: How do you feel about curating the Australia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale?
A: It’s a wonderful opportunity to support Archie in realising a landmark exhibition and I feel humbled and honoured that Archie has entrusted me as his curator. Moreover, Archie and I are delighted that Larissa Behrendt OA, Djon Mundine OAM and Kevin O’Brien – who have long been advocates for the artist’s practice – will be contributing to the wider project.
It provides Archie’s practice with the international audience it deserves.
Artistically adroit, politically incisive and drawing on his Aboriginal heritage, the artist is uniquely placed to confront Australia’s past and assert Indigenous sovereignty on a worldwide scale. He engages audiences on an emotional level to stimulate discussion about how we bear the responsibility for social change.
I think his project will strongly resonate with international audiences as it coincides with broader discussions about the complexity, diversity and recognition of Indigenous art histories across the world.
Archie Moore testing Inert State 2022. Image: Chloë Callistemon © QAGOMA
Q: So, why did Archie choose you to help realise his vision?
A: Only Archie can answer this question. Archie and I have known each other for 15 years, so we’ve been talking about art and his practice for a long time.
Working with Archie and Katina Davidson, Curator, Indigenous Australian Art, QAGOMA, on his commission for Embodied Knowledge: Queensland Contemporary Art was a rewarding experience for me. Floating stacks of paper in moving water is no small feat, and so exhibition designer Melissa Gore and sculpture conservator Elizabeth Thompson, along with the wider workshop and installation team, were instrumental in materialising Archie’s vision.
This project reflected upon The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody 1987-1991 and a remarkable number of visitors approached Gallery staff to express how much this project moved them – which speaks to the impact of Archie’s practice.
Q: What will your role be at the Australia Pavilion?
A: My focus is supporting Archie to realise his vision.
This means ensuring that his ideas are carried through every single detail, no matter how small – whether liaising with the design consultant, fabricators and conservators to ensure that we can produce the artwork to the highest of international standards; working with the graphic designer to guarantee the design elements embody the project across other formats; coordinating with the Australia Council on logistics; or supporting the invigilation team to ensure that Archie’s ideas are conveyed to the audience.
The major difference for this project is that we won’t be on the ground the whole time – so, working with trusted contributors will be key to the project’s success.
Q: Will you be going to Venice yourself?
A: Our first site visit to Venice is in April 2023.
While Archie and I have been to the Venice Biennale before, this visit gives us the chance to see the Australia Pavilion empty, which is critical to understanding how we design the space. We are thrilled that architect and BVN Principal Kevin O’Brien has come on board as the design consultant for the exhibition and will join us in Venice. Archie and I will work with Kevin to plan all the built details of the exhibition, including how we direct audiences to move through the Pavilion, and devise ways to slow them down to contemplate Archie's project – a hard task when people are looking at so much art at a frenetic pace.
Q: Why do you think team Archie/Ellie was chosen to showcase Australia?
A: Archie has an impressive track record of delivering ambitious projects, and the clarity of vision in the proposal for the Australia Pavilion resonated with the industry advisers who assisted Australia Council’s decision on our appointment.
Archie’s artworks place the viewer in his shoes, often speaking to the gap in the lived experience between First Nations and non-Indigenous Australians. Using personal memories as the basis for his artworks, Archie provides a tangible way for audiences to reflect upon wider political issues and shows how we bear the responsibility for social and political change.
VENICE BIENNALE
AUSTRALIAN PARTICIPANTS
Artist (A) / Curator (C)
1954: William Dobell (A) / Nil (C); Russell Drysdale (A) / Geelong Grammar School (C); Sidney Nolan (A) / Daryl Lindsay (C)
1956: Albert Tucker (A) / Nil (C)
1958: Arthur Boyd (A), Arthur Streeton (A) / Mitti Risi (C)
1978: John Boyd (A) / Nil (C), John Davis (A) / Nil (C); Robert Owen (A) / Nil (C); Ken Unsworth (A) / National Art School (C)
1980: Kevin Mortensen (A), Mike Parr (A), Tony Coleing (A) / Penny Coleing (C)
1982: Peter Booth (A) / Nil (C); Rosalie Gascoigne (A) / Nil (C)
1986: Imant Tillers (A) / Kerry Crowley (C), Paul Taylor (C)
1988: Arthur Boyd (A) / Nil (C)
1990: Rover Thomas (A), Trevor Nickolls (A) / Seva Frangos (C)
1993: Jenny Watson (A) / Judy Annear (C)
1995: Bill Henson (A) / Isobel Crombie (C)
1997: Emily Kngwarreye (A), Judy Watson (A), Yvonne Koolmatrie (A) / Hetti Perkins (C), Brenda L Croft (C), Victoria Lynn (C)
1999: Howard Arkley (A) / Timothy Morrell (C)
2001: Lyndal Jones (A) / John Barrett-Lennard (C)
2003: Patricia Piccinini (A) / Linda Michael (C)
2005: Ricky Swallow (A)/ Charlotte Day (C)
2007: Callum Morton (A), Daniel Von Sturmer (A), Susan Norrie (A) / Julianna Engberg (C)
2009: Claire Healy and Sean Cordeiro (A), Ken and Julia Yonetani (A), Sean Gladwell (A), Vernon Ah Kee (A) / Felicity Fenner (C)
2011: Hany Armanious (A) / Anne Ellegood (C)
2013: Simryn Gill (A) / Catherine de Zegher (C)
2015: Fiona Hall (A) / Linda Michael (C)
2017: Tracey Moffatt (A) / Natalie Kind (C)
2019: Angelica Mesiti (A) / Julianna Engberg (C)
2022: Marco Fusinato (A) / Alexie Glass-Kantor (C)
2024: Archie Moore (A) / Ellie Buttrose (C)
Q: Did you always want to work as an art curator?
A: While I did not set out to become a curator, during my time studying Art History at UQ, Rex Butler imparted his insatiable appetite for art and for talking about art, and Sally Butler provided a practical understanding of how museums function – so they prepared me well.
Q: And now you’re ‘Ellie-vating’ Queensland art to the world – well done! – what impact will this have?
A: I sincerely hope that this exhibition gives global audiences a fresh understanding of Australia and that Archie’s practice becomes a regular feature of international exhibitions and collections.
Director Chris Saines CNZM’s enthusiasm to see the exhibition tour to QAGOMA following its international run cannot go unrecognised. Archie is a Queensland artist, so it’s important that local audiences, who may not be able to travel to Venice, will be able to enjoy the exhibition.
Curating the Australia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale provides an unrivalled opportunity to meet with artists, curators and arts advocates from around the globe, so I also look forward to forging new friendships and future collaborations.
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