Uncomfortable Art Tours

Some of you may have tuned in to ‘The Art Show’ hosted by Namila Benson on Radio National on Wednesday morning. If you missed it you can hear it as a podcast on the ABC website: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-art-show/the-art-show—wed-22-april/12165382

This fascinating program was called ‘Critiquing the colonial propaganda in our museums’ and Namila’s guest was Alice Procter – the Australian born but London-based art historian. Alice studied at University College in London and has both a BA in Art History and an MA in Anthropology. She describes herself as a ‘historian of material culture’ which means that she is interested in postcolonial art practice, storytelling and how objects end up in museums – particularly objects removed as a result of colonisation and the trauma that this has caused for First Nations and other exploited people.

Her study and interests have led to Alice also taking guided tours in public institutions in London and conducting what she calls ‘Uncomfortable Art Tours’.  She is not affiliated with a particular institution and the tours are provided on a private basis at places like the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.

The tours are described on her website ‘the exhibitionist’ as focusing on ‘how major institutions came into being against a backdrop of imperialism. .. each tour unravel(s) the role colonialism played in shaping and funding a major national collection, looking at the broader material history of celebrated works: where the money comes from, the ways they’ve been displayed, and the ideological aesthetics at work. The history of British art is also the history of empire and genocide, written by collectors who traded in landscapes and lives’.

The website is worth exploring as it contains a number of interesting resources including: 31 podcasts covering a range of subjects based on exhibitions Alice has been to (from ‘Abstract Expressionism at the Royal Academy’ to ‘James Cook: The Voyages’ at the British Library) an extensive reading list (‘an uncomfortable library’); and writings and interviews that she has participated in: https://www.theexhibitionist.org/. There is also a free downloadable version of the ‘postcard’ (shown above) – a potential resource for tours?

Alice has recently released a book ‘The Whole Picture: The colonial story of the art in our museums & why we need to talk about it’. In four chronological sections – The Palace, The Classroom, The Memorial and The Playground – we discover the enlightening and at times shocking stories of how ‘art’ has ended up in institutions. This provocative read will affect the way we think about and interact with objects when we are back taking tours. if you are considering purchase you can have a ‘look inside’ at: https://www.hachette.com.au/alice-procter/the-whole-picture-the-colonial-story-of-the-art-in-our-museums-and-why-we-need-to-talk-about-it