What's Left Behind

What's Left Behind

Brook Andrew’s work commissioned for the 21st Biennale of Sydney. SUPERPOSITION: Equilibrium & Engagement considers the idea of memory, that which is present but simultaneously absent, and how objects can have transferable and alternate realities and meanings. The multi-layered sculptures scrutinise dominant narratives, locating Australia at the centre of a global inquisition. Drawing inspiration from archival and vernacular objects, Andrew works with different communities, as well as public and private collections, to highlight alternative histories that are too often neglected, hidden beneath the legacies of colonialism. What’s Left Behind, 2018, comprises five sculptural vitrines, each corresponding to one of the five elements of Wu Xing: Water, Air, Fire, Earth and Metal. Inviting four artists to contribute to the artwork, Andrew has asked each to reflect on the idea of memory – that which is present yet also absent, and the way objects can have transferable and alternate meanings, imbued with their own or substitute histories and stories. The artists: Rushdi Anwar, Shiraz Bayjoo, Mayun Kiki and Vered Snear, have placed a combination of personal objects, artworks, and objects selected from the collection of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney, within each of Andrew’s sculptural vitrines.

The installation's intention is to imbue objects with their own or alternate histories and stories. Having a shared interest in unpacking and making visible particular sites and histories, Brook has invited four artists; Rushdi Anwar, Shiraz Bayjoo, Mayun Kiki, and Vered Snear; to present an archive based on ideas related to What's Left Behind. This
collaborative work will explore alternative histories and experiences other than dominant Western notions of human experiential timelines. What's Left Behind will involve the presentation of five of Brook’s sculptural works, entitled Tombs of Thought. The five works, alike sculptural vitrines, each relate to an element: water, air, fire, wood, earth and metal; and act as vessels for the display of objects, ephemera, books, postcards and films. In this installation objects have been selected by the participating artists from the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS). Collectively when brought together, they aim to imbue a set of collection-based objects with their own or alternate histories and stories and serve as a release of the ideologies held within the objects.

This project is generously funded with the support of The Australia Council for the Arts and the Biennale of Sydney.

What’s Left Behind, in the 21st Biennale of Sydney. SUPERPOSITION: Equilibrium & Engagement curated my Mami Kataoka. Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. 16 March - 11 June, 2018.