All of us presented a contemporary framework by which to explore the importance of collaboration and the connections between artists, their practice, and the audiences they reach. Featuring a collection of multidisciplinary works by Adorned + Liam Benson, Karen Casey, Jody Haines, Teresa Hsieh, Mitch Mahoney + Molly Mahoney, and Justine Youssef, the exhibition acts as a collective response to our need to connect more deeply and meaningfully – providing an exploratory space to reflect on what it means to be a greater we.
Drawing on an interrelated philosophy of love and respect that transcends cultural boundaries and speaks to a way of being where everything and everyone is equal and interconnected, the exhibition emphasises the principle of human connection as something that is needed, but also an action, dialogue and mutual exchange in contemporary practice that is driven by both trust and respect.
In a world seemingly felt through the digitalisation of relationships, and experienced through the overwhelming access to data, All of us is a timely reminder of the importance to connect; with people, with a vast range or perceptions, with place, ideas and knowledges.
The importance of being able to take part and connect with people, places, and ideas, to know and to feel is reflected in the wide-ranging approaches the selected artists engage; prioritising the sentiment of reciprocity and responsibility that resonates within the exhibition space as a model of and for art-making.
The selected artists open-up practice to community, collective-making and participation by taking as their theoretical and practical departure point, human relations and their social context, rather than an independent and private space1 – making explicit the current need to connect to the local, and connect socially, in a world filled with uncertainty and in constant flux.2
In this context, and in acknowledgement of the land that binds all of us, the exhibition celebrates the creative rewards of collective activity as a cultural strategy to encourage new connections, reveal those that might otherwise remain latent – providing a unique exploration of what it means to be human, while revealing the elemental vibrations that connect everything and everyone, All of us.
All of us presented a contemporary framework by which to explore the importance of collaboration and the connections between artists, their practice, and the audiences they reach.
Jessica Clark is a curator, teacher and arts manager currently living and working in Melbourne. Her curatorial practice is driven by an intrinsic passion for art, sharing knowledge, working closely with artists, and bringing people and ideas together.