Denise Robinson
Curriculum Vitae
Denise Robinson has worked as a Curator, Writer and Gallery Director in Australia and Britain.
1999 - 2003
Independent curator and writer (see projects and publication)
Current Research project, in development: exhibition of Contemporary Visual Art for exhibition, Nicosia, Cyprus 2004
1997 -1998
Head of Artistic Programme, Arnolfini, Bristol.
See Curatorial Projects
Arnolfini houses three galleries, cinema, performance venue and book shop. Established a new programme to recognise the inter-connections between visual arts, film and performance,and devised programme for 1998, 1999. (See 'Curatorial projects' 'wrtiings and public talks for programme)
1996 -1998
Visiting Fellow, Historical and Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths College, University, London. Special subject, 'Transgressions'
1996
Visiting Fellow, Tate Gallery, London
Senior Fellowship awarded by Museums Australia. Persued researched and published on the relation between visual arts/cinema/film.
1995
Melbourne International Film Festival Member of judging panel for short films awards.
Concept and co-ordination of Forum and film program (60's US u'ground films and 90's Australian films by artists) 'Transgression and the Culture Industry' Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne. International forum on the function of curatorial and media approaches to 'transgression' as a defining criteria of contemporary art/culture in the 20th C. Speakers: Juan Davila Chile/Australia, Lesley Stern Aust., David Halperin, US. Rex Butler Aust.
1994
Lecture series on contemporary art and photography
Media Dept., Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
1993
Director, First International Sydney Queer Film and video Festival,
'Queer Screen' Australian Film Institute Cinema, Sydney. Coordinator and Programmer.
1992-1994
Lecturer in History/Theory, College of Fine Arts,University. of NSW.
Established courses: 'Art and Mass Media in the 20thC, Performance', 'Installation'. 2nd and 3rd year.
1986 - 1991
Director and Curator, Australian Centre for Photography (ACP)
The sole National photography organisation in Australia. Programme addressed contemporary photo-based work, with an emphasis on the altered nature of the photographic in the latter part of 20C.in 2 galleries (12 shows per year) Studio courses, Public art Projects (National) editorial, Quarterly journal Photofile, Book shop. Programme: Barbara Kruger, Corinne Cantrill, Sue Ford, Simon Watney, Stan Douglas, Yvonne Rainer, 'Films by photographers', Tracey Moffatt, TV work of Samuel Beckett (curated by Stan Douglas), Eugenio Dittborn, 'Art is not enough - AIDS activism' US/AUST. National Billboard project 'ADD MAGIC', 'Photography from Mexico' (curated by Charles Merewether).
1982 - 1986
Assitant Director then Director, Ewing and George Paton Galleries, Melbourne University Union. A contemporary art space of major influence with an international programme and a commitment to showing the work of emerging Australian artists in context. Two galleries, Touring programme (National and International) Collection and archive, Lecture series. Program focused on the relation of art and popular culture with an extended critique of the function of the contemporary museum. With lectures by Umberto Eco, Prof.Gayatri Chakravorti Spivak, Meaghan Morris,Prof. Jean Baudrillard, Hans Haacke. Programme included : Rebecca Horn, Eugenio Dittborn, Chantal AkermanHoward Arkley, Mary Kelly, Susan Hiller, Cindy Sherman, Juan Davila, Lucy Lippard, General Idea, John Heartfield, and a programme of curated exhibitions including 'Comicstripping', 'Mulgurrum' Central Arnhem Land, 'Architectura Picta', curated by artist Tony Clark, 'Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' curated by Judy Annear.
Some Curatorial Projects
2004
In development - 'Sweet History', exhibition, Nicosia, Cyprus
2002
Curator
'Video Star', Index Gallery, Stockholm
1999
Curator
'The Great Divide' event at '@ Bristol', Science & Art Museum: Ronald Jones, artist, (US) and Susan Hiller, (UK). in association with Syzugy Project with Bruce Gilchrist ,Jo Joelson and collaborators
Programmer: screenings at Malmo cinema, Sweden
Public cinema screening, 'Salo' and 'Teorama' by Pier Paolo Pasolini for Conference 'Cinema and the Death Drive', Malmo Art Academy, Sweden with Laura Mulvey, UK, Peggy Phelan , writer, US,Freiderich Meschede, Director, DAAD Gallery, Berlin
Curator
"Kill time, see a movie", Milch Gallery, London, part of ITSABOUTTIME
1997-1998
Head of Artistic Programme, Arnolfini
Curated exhibitions by Eija-Liisa Ahtilla, Video Installation and programme of shorts in cinema before features. Tracey Moffatt, (first major exhibition in the UK), film programme in cinema Peter Doig/Udomsak Krisanamis, Paintings (UK and US/Thailand) Toured to Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, '99 Tony Clark 'Public and Private Paintings' Public art project, Matts Leiderstam, 'Returned', Posnan, Poland
Programmed exhibitions of
Bob and Roberta Smith 'Don't Hate, Sculpt' 'Voice Over', exhibition, Hayward Gallery touring exhibition: Stan Douglas, Joseph Grigely, Bethan Hews, Jeremy Deller, Lucy Gunning, William Furlong/Audio Arts. 'Secret Victorians' US and British artists,Touring exhibition, Hayward Gallery
Convenor of International forum, ' Voice Over': Joseph Grigely (artist), Michael Archer(curator) Alan Read coordinator talks, ICA, Judith Barry (US artist and co-curator with Christopher Phillips of 'Voices', touring exhibition)
1990 - 1995
Research an Installation for Melbourne International Festival for the Arts.
Curatorial Consultant
'Time Surfaces' exhibition. Sue Ford, National Gallery of Victoria
Festival Director & Curator
'Queer Screen' 1st Sydney International Film and Video Festival. Touring component Sadie Benning and screenings at American Express hall, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney. session for open invitation: Film and video shorts, toured througout Australia
Curator
'ADD MAGIC' National Billboard Project for Australian Centre for Photography, installed in 6 Australian cities, 60 sites in subways, State Galleries, streets. A Collaboration with Australian Posters and Advertising Standards Council, 6 venues, 1990 Biennale of Sydney
1989
Curator
'La Casa, The Letter, The House', Eugenio Dittborn (Chile) Airmail Paintings. Cat. text Guy Brett (UK)
Curator
'La Manzana de Adan', C.Donoso and Paz Errazuriz(Chile) Collaboration between documentary photographer and journalist of a bordello of travesti's in Talca in the South of Chile 1985-1989. Cat. text by Nelly Richard (Chile)
1988
Curator
Billboard Project: Barbara Kruger for ACP located in subway system, Sydney. Collaboration with Adelaide International Festival for the Arts.
Artistic Consultant
1988 Australian Bicentennial Authority for National Multicultural exhibition and tour: 3 CITIES, 3 CULTURES: Italian, Greek and Turkish communities
1985
Curator
'Selections' Ewing and George Paton Galleries, Melbourne: Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, Francois Boisrand, Jenny holzer, Juan Davila
Curator
'Exquisite Corpse': window installation: Juan Davila, Maria Kozic, Howard Arkley.
1984
Curator
'Meaning & Excellence' Australian artists at Edinburgh International Festival,1984, Tour-England, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Melbourne University Gallery/Ewing and George Paton Galleries, Melbourne.
1983
Curator
'Comicstripping', artists working with the languages of comic strips, Ewing and George Paton Galleries, Melbourne University
Writings
2003
Monograph text on the work of Knut Asdam, Publ. Oblikket, New York, September
Helene Black,10 years of work: Cyprus. Indep Publ. Nicosia, October
'Venice Biennale, 2003', Feature, Camera Austria, September.
2002
'Marine Hugonnier's ARIANE', Camera Austria, June
'Sleep Watches You' Cat . text, Buenos Aires Biennale.
'Marianne Heske O - 1' Oslo, Flash Art, Milan, May/June.
'Jonas Dahlberg', Ouverture, Flash Art, Milan, December
2001
'The Leaving', review, Matts Leiderstam at CRAC, Sete, ArtPress, Paris, June
'Border Crossings, Art and Anthropology',Thames and Hudson, London, Publ. August, 2003
Feature on Gillian Wearing, ArtPress, Paris Mar.
2000
'Normal love' Juan Davila 'The Lovers Progress' publ. Melbourne, Australia
'Too much is expected of love and art' on the work of Lyndal Jones, Like Magazine, November, Melbourne.
'Its great to have roots as long as you can take them with you', Zoo magazine, London, July
Interview (with Catsout Roberts) with Lars Nittve, Director of Tate Modern, ArtPress, Paris, May
'The Cessation of the Name, Pier Paolo Pasolini' ' Death Drive Reader including Peggy Phelan, Laura Mulvey, Freiderich Meschede, publ. Oyeblikket. October
1999
Catalogue essay Matts Leiderstam 'Returned' at Parc des Buttes Chaumant and Centre Culturel Suedois, Paris. Published, Moderna Museet, Stockholm
'Where Am I', cat essay, Lucy Gunning, Chapter Gallery, Cardiff
1998
Arnolfini catalogues:
Tony Clark ''Public and Private Paintings ', editor and introduction. Publ Arnolfini
Tracey Moffatt ' Go on, show me' editor and introduction. Text by Adrian Martin, Publ Arnolfini
'Peter Doig/Udomsak Krisanamis' (Paintings) editor and introduction. Text by Jake Chapman, Publ. Arnolfini
'Transitory Tyrants', Institute for International Visual Arts, London
''Exhibiting Tactics' interview with Stan Douglas, appendix, documents from 'OUT OF SITE conference on 'siting art', Malmo, Art Academy, Sweden.
1997
'An Hallucinated Love' essay, Fotofeis Festival book, UK.
'Wild Talents', Cat essay, Susan Hiller exhibition, Foksal Gallery, Warsaw and Philadelphia. (republished and translated for exhibitions in Oslo, Norway and Caracas,Venezuala)
'Thought Burned Alive' Third Text, No. 37. Win.London.
1996
'A conversation with Susan Hiller ' COIL No. 2, London
1995
'Transgression and the Culture Industry', coordinator and editor, The Gordon Darling Seminars, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne.
'HERE', review photography and the technologies of braille Photofile, ACP March, Sydney
'Archiving Phantasy', review, retrospective of Sue Ford, ART IN AUSTRALIA
1994
'Tony Clark's Ruse' , review, AGENDA , No. 39, Melbourne
'Sadly, this desert queens beauty is only sequin deep', film review,'The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert', The Age Newspaper, Melb.
'Time Surfaces' , catalogue, exhibition Sue Ford, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
'The Aberrant Object, Women, DADA and Surrealism', review, AGENDA, No.37 June, Melbourne
1993
'Translating La Cita Transcultural', review, Latin American Artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Photofile, Autumn, ACP, Sydney
1990
'The Vampire Doesn't Filiate it Infects: utopian, dystopian fantasies of new technologies, Photofile 'Chaos' issue.
'Impure Solutions' ART & TEXT, No. 26, Sydney
Editor 'La Manzana De Adan' with text by Nelly Richard, Chile, publ Australian Centre for Photography
1985
'Gone with the Wind' review , VISUAL TENSION, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, On the Beach, No. 7/8, Sydney
1984
'Meaning and Excellence', catalogue essay, 'Meaning and Excellence' Edinburgh International Festival
1983
'Comicstripping' Catalogue essay exhibition: Ewing and George Paton Gallery, Melbourne.
'Contemporary Art and the Role of the Gallery', ART NETWORK, No. 5
'I am the Piano Player in the Whorehouse of Art' , Feature, interview with Robert Hughes on TV series 'Shock of the New', ART NETWORK, No. 34, Sydney
Public Lectures
2002
Lecture, 'Contemporary visual arts and Television', (and seminars) Valand School of Art, Gothenberg, Sweden
'Absorbing Gilbert & George', lecture , 'The Dirty Words Pictures', Serpentine Gallery, London, July.
2000
Seminars 3rd year students at Valand School of Fine Art, Gothenberg on the video work of Steve Reinke (Canada)
'the lovers discourse' Lecture at Teatersodern, Stockholm
1999
Seminars on 'Contemporary art and Cinema', Konstfack,Stockholm, Participant 'Cinema and the Death Drive' forum with Peggy Phelan Laura Mulvey, Freiderich Meschede at Malmo Art Academy, Sweden 'Contemporary art and Cinema', Kunstfac Art Academy,Stockholm
'The Leaving', Lecture, MA, Central St Martins School of Art.
'Writing on Photography', Manchester University forum
1998
Curators Forum, Central St Martins School of Art, London
Talk 'landscapes and catwalks' Matts Leiderstam' painting and film, 'Paris is Burning' by Jennie Livingstone, St Martin's School of Art, London
'The purpose of Art', a dedication to Jack Smith. Introductory talk, Hull Time Based Arts, Festival, Hull, UK
1997
'Its not in my Nature', Slade School of Art, London, Lecture on new technologies and contemporary art.
'The Art of Mimicry'', Lecture, Oriel Gallery, Cardiff
'Transitory Tyrants' Art in Australia, I.N.I.V.A. conference.
1996
'Resisting The Subject' Arnolfini, Bristol, conference on Internationalising contemporary art
1994
'Historical Treasures', Curating and writing, Art Critics Panel, Melbourne Writers Festival
1993
'Role Models', Contemporary photography and the museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
1992
'An Active Forgetting', speaker on Adelaide Biennale Exhibition panel: 'Unfamiliar Territory', Adelaide International Festival of the Arts exhibition on contemporary German painting
1991
'ADD MAGIC: Public art and Commerce', lecture, Sydney College of The Arts and University of Sydney
1986
'Art Criticism: Hot Stuff', panel speaker 5th Biennale of Sydney
1985
'The British Show', speaker, Power Institute , Sydney University
Awards
1995
Senior Fellowship, Museums Australia. 6 mth. residency, Tate Gallery London (1996)
Public Art Exhibition dev. grant, Visual Arts Crafts Board, Aust. Council- Inflatable.
1994
Curatorial grant. Development of proposal for Venice Biennale
1988
Curatorial Grant, VACB, to NY. Santiago, Milan, Venice Biennale, London
1984
Curatorial Grant, VACB, Edinburgh, England, Western Australia. co-ordinate, install and promote 'Meaning and Excellence', Edinburgh International Festival
1983
Curatorial Grant, VACB, travel to major museums &post war collections in the U.S