Let’s Talk…The Arts with Adam Ford


This week on Let’s Talk…the Arts, Rachael is joined by Adam Ford, a Meanjin-based Nyoongar man and early-career curator, writer, and art historian for a big conversation about the politics of art curation, and the challenges and possibilities that come with working for big state institutions.

Adam currently works as Assistant Curator, Indigenous Australian Art, at the Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art. His areas of interest include the artistic and cultural productions of the Kimberley, bark works of Arnhem Land, and works by contemporary Queensland Indigenous artists. Adam’s favourite artist is the late Wiradjuri Harry J. Wedge. 

In this week’s episode, Adam takes us on a tour behind the scenes of a major gallery, reflecting on the work that goes into curating exhibitions, the process of drawing connections between diverse works in an exhibition, and the specific challenges of curatorial “storytelling”: bringing together works in conversation, without crowding out their specificity.

A perfect podcast to accompany you on your next trip to the local gallery; or to any spaces where art is made, collected, and enjoyed.