Monash University

Exhibitions

MUMA presents exhibitions of contemporary art by Australian and international artists. Focusing on curatorial research and commissioning, the program includes significant solo artist projects, thematic responses to current issues and exhibitions that contribute to shaping the recent history of art.

Public Programs

Public Programs include lectures, talks, workshops, symposia, screenings and events presented for students and the wider community, connecting people, art and ideas. Varied programs bring audiences into closer contact with artists and researchers, creating spaces for discussion and participation.

Education

MUMA Education engages students and teachers through tailored programs drawing on current exhibitions and the Monash University Collection. Trained educators and artists connect students to art in meaningful ways, promoting creative thinking and critical problem-solving skills. MUMA acknowledges the diversity of all children and provides a child safe environment.

Project Room Second Nature – Fiona Macdonald

Project Room: Second Nature – Fiona Macdonald

Dates:
4 – 29 September 2001

Location:
Monash University Museum of Art
Ground Floor, Building 55
Monash University, Clayton Campus

About the exhibition
This solo exhibition in MUMA’s Project Room presented a body of works referred to by the artist as ‘reductions’ and ‘specimens’, comprising photography, video and installation. Silent black-and-white images referenced the history of art and the grand narrative of the landscape tradition, with each work displayed as a museum specimen.

The exhibition title, Second Nature, commonly suggests instinctive or unconscious habits and characteristics. In conversation with art historian Anne Marsh, the artist described her interest in the concept of ‘nature’ as a cultural construct, the simulacrum and the referent of the spectacle, in Baudrillard’s terms.

MUMA Online Exhibition Archive
MUMA’s online archive is expanding. We welcome your feedback and input. Please contact muma.communications@monash.edu with any information that could help enrich the archive for future audiences.

^{Image: Fiona MacDonald, Muybrige Specimen from Reduction 2001 (still), VHS video, 3-minute loop, not specified}

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