Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Abigail Moncrieff is a Curator living in Sydney, with experience working on exhibitions, context-specific works and commissioned projects with contemporary artists, working both independently and with national institutions. Her current project is 'The National: New Australian Art' 2021 at Carriageworks, presenting 13 artist projects that place an emphasis on collaboration, kinship and sociality, with artists navigating the measure and texture of our actions and engagement with the world around us. Artists at Carriageworks are A Constructed World, Vernon Ah Kee and Dalisa Pigram with Marrugeku, Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley, Mitch Cairns, Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Agatha Gothe-Snape with Andrew Burrell, Alana Hunt, Karrabing Film Collective, Michelle Nikou, Sarah Rodigari, Darren Sylvester, Brendan Van Hek and Isadora Vaughan. Previous curatorial roles include C3West at Museum of Contemporary Art, Australia, realising projects with Angelica Mesiti, Sylvie Blocher and Jeanne van Heeswijk. Abigail was Curator of 'Experimenta Speak to Me', International Biennial of Media Arts and realised 'La Passion de Jeanne D’Arc: Rozelle Hospital' with Venezuelan artist Javier Tellez for Biennale of Sydney. Her experience includes an ongoing interest in curating social and digital art projects and exhibitions, often investigating forms of curatorial practice beyond conventional exhibition models at institutions. Abigail was awarded an MFA from UNSW Art & Design for curatorial research involving community and regional engagement, which culminated in the exhibition 'Sentient' at Murray Art Museum Albury with artist James Nguyen. This twelve month project focused on the Murray River as a contested space, looking at displaced knowledges through conversations over time with the local community around borders, migration and the environment. Abigail has edited and contributed to numerous catalogues and publications, and regularly contributes to Australian art journals.
'The National 2021: New Australian Art' Carriageworks, 26 March—20 June 2021 The third in a series of biennial survey exhibitions, The National is a partnership between the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Carriageworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA). Artists at Carriageworks: A Constructed World, Vernon Ah Kee and Dalisa Pigram with Marrugeku, Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley, Mitch Cairns, Lorraine Connelly-Northey, Agatha Gothe-Snape with Andrew Burrell, Alana Hunt, Karrabing Film Collective, Michelle Nikou, Sarah Rodigari, Darren Sylvester, Brendan Van Hek and Isadora Vaughan.
In March 2017, a New Zealand High Court awarded sentient rights to the ancient Whanganui River, after 140 years of negotiation by Māori. This recognition requires that the river must be treated as living entity, and is legally considered as an ancestor of the Whanganui tribe in the North Island of New Zealand. This landmark decision is a reference point in 'Sentient,' a creative collaboration by Curator Abigail Moncrieff and artist James Nguyen. The project focuses on the Murray River and its usage in the regional situation of Albury New South Wales. James and Abigail have been visiting Albury since December 2017 in the development of 'Sentient', which has been realised through conversations with the local communities of Albury, exploring ideas around migration, borders, histories and the environment. The River Murray is contested space; the depth of cultural and spiritual significance of the river to the indigenous community over time is set against the environmental and social impact of colonisation in the Murray River region. Recent immigration and the growing population of Albury, coupled with the economic significance of the water environment of the Murray River to tourism in Albury region, further complexifies this timely and significant conversation. This website contextualises the conversations that took place around the River Murray in Albury Wodonga region, and uses reference images photographed by James Nguyen throughout the Sentient research and residency period. Find images of Sentient exhibition at MAMA here: https://www.sentientmurray.com/about Sentient will take place through an exhibition and a number of public events that will support the key ideas and conversations of the project.
Curator of international media art exhibition, initially presented in 2013 at RMIT University Gallery and multiple sites across Melbourne, including NGV International, Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), MADA Gallery, Monash University, RMIT Gallery and Federation Square. The Experiment Speak to Me exhibition toured nationally for the following two years, until 2015. 'Speak to Me' featured the artists: Ryoko Aoki & Zon Ito (Japan), Sylvie Blocher (France), Natalie Bookchin (United States), Priscilla Bracks & Gavin Sade (Australia), Philip Brophy (Australia), Ian Burns (Australia/United States), Christopher Fulham (Australia), Johan Grimonprez (Belgium/United States), Shih Chieh Huang (Taiwan/United States), Hiroshi Ishiguro (Japan), Tristan Jalleh (Australia), Meiro Koizumi (Japan), Eugenia Lim (Australia), Jess MacNeil (Australia), Wade Marynowsky (Australia) Archie Moore (Australia), Kate Murphy (Australia), Dominic Redfern (Australia), Nina Ross (Australia), Scenocosme (France), Nobuhiro Shimura (Japan), SODA_JERK (Australia), Charlie Sofo (Australia), Grant Stevens (Australia), Kyohei Uchida, Makiko Hoshikawa, Fumitoshi Ogaki, Toshiaki Uchiyama & Kenji Suzuki (Japan), Katie Turnbull (Australia), Yandell Walton (Australia), Takayuki Yamamoto (Japan), YOUNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES (South Korea / United States)
Projects include Angelica Mesiti, 'The Begin-Again' (2011), Sylvie Blocher 'What Is Missing?' (2010),Campement Urbain THE FUTURE OF PENRITH / PENRITH OF THE FUTURE, (2007-ongoing), Jeanne Van Heeswijk 'Talking Trash – Personal Relationships with Waste' (2010), Ash Keating 'Activate 2750' (2009) & Craig Walsh, Heads Up, (2008).