Assembly: An Open Discussion on Cultural Appropriation

Recent debates have raised a number of questions about the nature and ethics of western artistic practices that appropriate from nonwestern cultures. This forum intends to explore the colonial history of cultural appropriation in Australia, and to reflect on what continuities exist between contemporary and historical forms and strategies of appropriation.  

Gertrude Assembly is hosting this forum following discussion generated by the recent exhibition of work by Melbourne fashion label P.A.M. with the intention of expanding and extending the dialogue.

Moderator: 

Eugenia Flynn is the co-ordinator of the Willin Centre at the VCA.

Speakers:

Paola Balla was a curator in the Melbourne Indigenous Arts Festival in 2012. She is an artist, community arts practitioner, Indigenous studies lecturer and, most recently, a Victorian Indigenous Art Award (VIAA) winner.

Texta Queen uses the humble felt-tip pen to explore politics of sexuality, gender, race and identity in tangent with ideas of self-image and inter-personal relationships. Texta also publishes widely on race and racism.

Dr. Odette Kelada is a lecturer in Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne. Odette Kelada researches and publishes on whiteness, race and gender in Australian writing and the arts. Key interests include the constructions of nation, body and identity in creative representations and the pedagogy of racial literacy.

Dianne Jones is an artist whose work deals with indigenous identity and cultural history. She is represented by Niagara Galleries. She also teaches a racial literacy course with Odette Kelada.