MELBOURNE.- The University of Melbourne has unveiled 'nightshifts', a contemplative new group exhibition considering the importance of solitude through contemporary arts practice. Presented at Buxton Contemporary now on view to 29 October 2023, the large-scale exhibition features more than 30 works drawn from the University of Melbourne’s art collection, alongside two new commissions.

Curated by Hannah Presley and Annika Aitken, 'nightshifts' looks to the shadows and ‘after hours’ as metaphors for the work and thinking that happens beneath the surface, away from the public gaze: time alone in the studio, during the quiet of the night and while asleep. Spanning a range of themes, histories and media, the exhibition offers a meditative counterpoint to the recurring emphasis on collaboration and hyper-visibility in contemporary curatorial practice.

Artists in this exhibition demonstrate the natural cycles and shifting conditions of working alone, from rumination to meditative, flow-like states and the periods of quiet and rest that necessarily follow. Solo human journeys and cosmic trajectories diverge and connect, and perspectives on Deep Listening demonstrate the power of singular focus to sharpen attention and reveal things unseen. The physical journey through the exhibition moves through subtle transitions in light, colour and sound, evoking the shift from dusk to dawn.

'nightshifts' provides new points of access to works in the University of Melbourne collections, including celebrated artists Shaun Gladwell, Tracey Moffatt, Callum Morton, Mike Parr, Mikala Dwyer, Teelah George, Marco Fusinato, Mabel Juli, Louise Weaver and Peter Booth. In addition, a number of commissions and loans have been selected to extend the exhibition themes.

Hannah Presley, Senior Curator, Museums and Collections said “Annika and I were keen to consider the Buxton and wider Melbourne University collections through a different lens. We began by examining the work of artists who have created their most enigmatic work through solo studio practice and extended this investigation to encompass artists exploring the creatively abundant qualities of time spent alone. It was important to us to embrace the potential for solitude to be a positive and productive mechanism of artistic practice.”

Also in the exhibition are some selected new works including:

● Canberra-based artist Lisa Sammut’s new large-scale kinetic sculptural and moving image installation that connects cosmic and human timescales through the orbit of Halley’s Comet coinciding with an average human lifespan.

● Gunditjmara and Keerray Woorroong artist Dr Vicki Couzens’ collaboration with Robert Bundle to present First Sound, First Light, an immersive soundscape drawing on the Indigenous concept of Deep Listening, utilising vocalisations, sounds and imagery from Country.

Annika Aitken, Curator, Museums and Collections said “We have worked with Lisa Sammut, Dr Vicki Couzens and Rob Bundle to present two exciting new commissions for 'nightshifts'. These works create space for pause and contemplation within the exhibition, and are supported by a responsive design that moves through subtle transitions in light, colour, and sound — evoking the shift from dusk to dawn.”

THE CURATORS

Hannah Presley is an Aboriginal curator based in Melbourne. She is a Director of Agency Projects and Senior Curator, Museums and Collections at University of Melbourne. Hannah was recently Curator of Indigenous Art at National Gallery of Victoria, where she curated Big Weather, 2020, she was curator of Primavera 2021 at Museum of Contemporary Art and Observance at Buxton Contemporary (with Sam Comte), 2022. Hannah was the inaugural Yalingwa curator at Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, where she curated A Lightness of Spirit is the Measure of Happiness in 2018 and was Assistant Curator for Tracey Moffatt, My Horizon, at the 57th Venice Biennale, 2017. Her practice focuses on the development of creative projects, working closely with artists to learn about the techniques, history and community that inform their making and guide her curatorial process.

Annika Aitken is a writer and curator, currently Curator, Art Museums at the University of Melbourne. Previously she worked at the National Gallery of Victoria on curatorial projects including Japanese Modernism and the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibitions Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape and Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality. She was co-editor of the NGV's first two critical imprint publications: She Persists and The Centre. Annika has managed a range of public art projects across the local government and the private sectors, alongside independent curatorial projects with artist-run organisations. She has a research interest in the impact of the State on curatorial practice within public arts institutions.

BUXTON CONTEMPORARY

The University of Melbourne’s Buxton Contemporary opened in 2018 and has become one of Melbourne’s must-see contemporary art spaces. Designed by renowned architects Fender Katsalidis, the Gallery comprises four public exhibition galleries, teaching facilities, and an outdoor screen dedicated to the display of moving image art. Buxton Contemporary is located on the University’s Southbank Campus, in the heart of Melbourne’s Arts Precinct. The Campus is also home to the Victorian College of the Arts and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

26 May - 29 October 2023