This boundary-breaking volume examines an array of objects that, in various ways, complicate narrow definitions of art and Australian identity. It shows how each object has informed and enriched contemporary Australian personal and political life in complex, often overlooked ways.
Featuring essays and object case studies by leading and emerging art historians, artists, curators, historians and anthropologists, The Australian Object offers a material intervention into Australian art and cultural histories by highlighting objects that expand definitions of art, nationhood and identity. It employs an object-led approach that combines art history's attentiveness to form and meaning with material culture's concern for use, materials and patterns of movement, incorporating methodologies from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge systems, art-making, museology, post- and de-colonialism, ecology, design and theology. Focusing on the useful, mobile and multi-sensory aspects of objects, contributors follow their trajectories across cultures, times and places, and through international networks of trade and migration, connecting Australia with China, Vietnam, Iran, England, France and the USA.
The book is divided into five thematic sections: Living Objects, Collecting Objects, Migrating Objects, Monumental Objects and Immaterial Objects. Rather than chronological or geographical groupings, these sections articulate the shared material qualities of objects and their place in a network of makers and users. Furniture, ceramics, photo-montage, signage and boardgames are newly examined as material agents shaping social, cultural, political and religious life in Australia and beyond. Accordingly, the very term 'Australian object' is called into question as writers propose divergent frameworks that emphasise connection and interchange, bringing to light the material culture that Australia has shaped, denied and inspired.

- 297 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
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Information
Topic
ArtSubtopic
Art GeneralTable of contents
- Cover
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- Notes on Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Towards a Material History of Australian Art Molly Duggins, Mark De Vitis and Georgina Cole
- Part I Living Objects
- Part II Collecting Objects
- Part III Migrating Objects
- Part IV Monumental Objects
- Part V Immaterial Objects
- Epilogue
- Index
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Yes, you can access The Australian Object by Molly Duggins,Mark De Vitis,Georgina Cole in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Art & Art General. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.