Anni Doyle Wawrzyńczak
How Local Art Made Australia’s National Capital
ANU Press, 2020
Canberra’s dual status as national capital and local city dramatically affected the rise of a unique contemporary arts scene. This complex story, informed by rich archival material and interviews, details the triumph of local arts practice and community over the insistent cultural nation-building of Australia’s capital. It exposes local arts as a vital force in Canberra’s development and uncovers the influence of women in the growth of its visual arts culture.
A broad illumination of the city-wide development of arts and culture from the 1920s to 2001 is combined with the story of Bitumen River Gallery and its successor Canberra Contemporary Art Space from 1978 to 2001. This history traces the growth of the arts from a community-led endeavour, through a period of responses to social and cultural needs, and ultimately to a humanising local practice that transcended national and international boundaries.
2017 ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences PhD Publication Prize Winner
“Anni Doyle Wawrzyńczak offers a deep dive into Canberrra’s local visual arts landscape, tracking its jostle against big muscle national agendas, and a growth that was clearly artist-led. ”
About the Author
Anni Doyle Wawrzyńczak has lived and worked in most Australian cities and throughout Asia where her practice during the 1980s and 1990s included performance, filmmaking and community involvement. Over the last two decades in Canberra she has curated more than 40 exhibitions. She is the Australian lead and co-curator of the project Curating Canberra Brasilia: un/planned a/symmetries. How Local Art Made Australia’s National Capital is her first book.
