Griffith University Art Museum has been awarded Best University Art Museum Exhibition Catalogue for Chantal Fraser: The Ascended at the 2024 Art Writing and Publishing Awards (AWAPAs) hosted by the Art Association of Australia and New Zealand (AAANZ).
Announced at the 2024 AAANZ Conference in Canberra, comments by judges Dr Joanna Barrkman and Dr Katrina Grant recognised the high-quality publishing outputs produced by the GUAM team:
"The presentation of Fraser's art in this catalogue is engaging and impactful - the thoughtful essays and the high-quality photography in this publication captures her process of making art, the final artworks, their public presentation in various contexts and the performance and engagement elements of her practice. The catalogue and essays perceptively explore the diversity of media and the multi-media dimensions of Fraser's oeuvre with the use of powerful and provocative imagery and accessible language. A published interview with the artist elucidates her processes of unpacking and deconstructing power structures socially, culturally, creatively and individually to untether herself from known or stereo-typical ways of being. It is also considered noteworthy that Griffith University Art Museum sought to profile Fraser, a Brisbane-based artist whose education and exhibiting career has been largely grounded in that city."
Chantal Fraser: The Ascended was published alongside an exhibition of the same name, open at Griffith University Art Museum from 15 June - 2 September 2023, before touring to regional Queensland through 2024 - 2025.
The exhibition brings together early and new works by Sāmoan-Australian artist Chantal Fraser, that reflect the complexity of lived experiences for diasporic Sāmoan and Pasifika communities through a feminist, anti-colonial lens.
The publication includes new essays by Naomi Evans and Dr Lana Lopesi (MNZM), commissioned poetry by Brian Fuata and an artist interview by Shuddhabrata Sengupta (Raqs Media Collective).
You can read more about Chantal Fraser: The Ascended and purchase the publication online.
Chantal Fraser: The Ascended is currently touring regional Queensland and remains open at Rockhampton Museum of Art until 23 March 2025.
