No Brow art show speaks with Sasha Grishin on Hierarchies in Contemporary Australian art

Originally Broadcast: February 1, 2015 Late last year Sasha Grishin, Emeritus Professor of Art History at the Australian National University in Canberra saw a tome of his published – titled Australian Art: A History – but more recently has embarked on his next project, which has already been designated the working-title: Australian Art: The Contemporary Scene. As you might gather, this research concerns itself with Australian art at the turn of the 21st Century. But how to approach research for such a mammoth subject? Writing for The Conversation late last year, Sasha openly debated a primary concern of his, a dilemma that all historians should encounter and contemplate. When writing history, how do you decide who to include and who not to include from a huge number of possible candidates? The title of the article was ‘How Hierarchies Happen in Contemporary Australian Art’ and it outlined a methodology that attempted to break-up the authority with which Sasha is carrying out his research – and moreover he is interested in the art lecturers, tutors, curators, gallery owners and critics – or the ‘gatekeepers’ as Sasha terms them to an artists career in the professional arts. Sasha wants to make it known that he is very keen to discuss topics and hear from people as he carries out his research. If you’re interested in getting in contact with him, his email address is: Sasha.Grishin@anu.edu.au His article on The Conversation: http://theconversation.com/how-hierarchies-happen-in-contemporary-australian-art-35088