Hessian in Contemporary Art?

This photo is from Belle, Exhibition Coordinator at Sydney Biennale, and Cherie, the Head of Exhibitions, who have been supporting our project.

Here in the boot, Cherie and Belle are transporting some hessian to the Art Gallery of NSW. Belle told us that Brook Andrew (the Artistic Director of the Biennale) has been looking for ways to change materials use in the exhibition, which happens across a bunch of different venues.

In a text message, Belle said the hessian is:

A way to use less plastic paint across parts of the exhibition / instead of building lots of walls /  and as a wayfinding device / or background to some works.

Brook adds:

I also made sure that plastic cables are not to be used unless they were reusable or needed for specific high voltage cabling usage. And some artists who may use plastic are now using recycled plastic or plastics that are to my knowledge not single-use.

During the Biennale we’ll continue to keep an eye out for these curatorial and artistic decisions and report back.

We’re interested in situations where ethical materials choice bumps up against aesthetic “finish” in a professional museum context…

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