{"title":"Grace McQuilten","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the fascinating collection of works by \u003cem\u003eGrace McQuilten\u003c\/em\u003e, an esteemed author known for her insightful contributions to the realm of arts and culture. Grace McQuilten's writings are celebrated for their ability to seamlessly blend art theory with contemporary societal issues, offering readers a captivating exploration of artistic expression and its impact on the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWithin this collection, you'll find works such as \u003cem\u003eVariations\u003c\/em\u003e, which delve deep into the interconnectedness of art, culture, and community. Her books encourage readers to reflect on the transformative power of art and its potential to inspire change and innovation across diverse cultures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGrace McQuilten's unique perspective and thought-provoking analysis make her books an essential addition to any art enthusiast’s library. Whether you're a student, a professional, or simply a lover of the arts, her eloquent prose and engaging arguments will provide fresh insights and stimulate meaningful conversations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDiscover the world of art through the eyes of Grace McQuilten and enrich your understanding of culture in all its glorious variations.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"variations-by-grace-mcquilten-9781922979223","title":"Variations","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eVariations\u003c\/em\u003e is a term that embraces difference and is core to the excitement and uniqueness of art practice. This book gives much-deserved attention to the work of artists with exceptional and varied lived experiences—including neurodiversity, diverse mental health, incarceration, and refugee, migrant, and Muslim backgrounds—to transform how we understand contemporary visual art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe book’s goal is recognising, appreciating, and analysing artistic variation—a process in which artists’ voices are central to their stories, including how their lives and works are presented, discussed, framed, and theorised. The essays, profiles, and images in this hardback, lavishly illustrated volume have been co-produced, and in many cases co-authored, with artists and writers who have direct lived experience of social and cultural variation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese profiles include short texts, many written by the artists themselves, accompanied by high-quality reproductions, to ensure the text is accessible to a range of readers. Interspersed between these profiles is a series of longer texts, co-authored by artists and writers, to provide a layered understanding of the contexts in which the works might be understood. These include essays and interviews that address questions of structural and social marginalisation while exploring the important role of collectives, supported studios, and arts organisations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTo understand art-making in Australia, it is essential to listen to the voices of artists who live complex forms of social diversity. Engagingly written and beautifully produced, this book introduces readers to a new picture of contemporary Australian art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome of the artists featured include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eMelbourne-based \u003cstrong\u003eLisa Reid\u003c\/strong\u003e is one of over 150 artists at Arts Project Australia, a supported studio that has been working with neurodiverse artists since 1974. Reid’s painting and drawing, characterised by humour and a highly distinctive graphic style, has attracted attention from private collectors as well as institutions, including the National Gallery of Victoria and Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSafdar Ahmed\u003c\/strong\u003e is a Sydney-based artist, musician, and academic, and a founding member of the Refugee Art Project. This organisation was initially founded to facilitate art workshops for people incarcerated in Villawood detention centre and to amplify their voices through exhibitions and self-published zines.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eColombian-born \u003cstrong\u003eJavier Lara-Gomez\u003c\/strong\u003e began making architectural models out of salvaged materials while incarcerated at Sydney’s Long Bay Correctional Complex during the 1990s. As the artist noted, as he worked, he was ‘bringing to life the dream that goes through my mind always when I think about my lovely family’.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eGeelong-born, Sydney-based artist \u003cstrong\u003eWart\u003c\/strong\u003e explores the experience of diverse mental health and the impact of institutionalisation in her art. Of the expressionistic works in her 2019 exhibition, ‘Unravelling Moments in a Torn Mind’, Wart explained: ‘they’re showing totally how screwed up you can be through colour and shape and mis-forming that shape.’\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHelen Sheferaw\u003c\/strong\u003e, who came to Australia from Ethiopia, has worked as a printmaker and designer with the support of not-for-profit printmaking studio The Ownership Project and The Social Studio, a fashion social enterprise. Her work documents the hope and trauma of the refugee migration experience, along with a celebration of her Ethiopian culture, from a deeply Christian perspective.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eKamilaroi artist \u003cstrong\u003eFrances Castles\u003c\/strong\u003e was taught by her grandmother in Walgett, New South Wales, to harvest and weave local river grasses. When Castles began working with The Torch, an organisation that supports Indigenous ex-offenders to connect with their culture and create art, she began to nourish knowledge and teach younger Indigenous women how to weave. With her woven baskets and textiles, Castles wants a broader audience to ‘get a sense of what this country is and what the culture is really about’.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47083055743212,"sku":"9781922979223","price":79.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/18203353482872.jpg?v=1765280327"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/grace-mcquilten.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}