Every issue, Artlines invites an artist, curator or friend of the Gallery to share their practice and passions with us. Artlines recently spoke with ‘Embodied Knowledge’ artist Callum McGrath.

Explain the essence of your practice in 50 words or less. 
I’m interested in practices of history. I make research-driven videos, objects and images that address the complexities of how queer histories are archived, remembered and memorialised. At its core, my work proposes non-normative methods to reimagine the time of queer history that embraces mistakes, fragmentation and slippages.

Describe your studio/work area. 
I have a little studio on campus at Monash University, where I am currently doing my postgraduate studies. It is a little on the small side but has floor-to-ceiling windows — natural light is very important. On the horizon, I can see Port Phillip, which means I can see the container ships in the distance, which I like to keep track of via the Marine Traffic app.

What has been a seminal experience in your development as an artist? 
In 2019, I was super fortunate to receive a travel scholarship to do research in Germany, where I spent time in two queer archives/libraries. This was a really engaging and generative period for me; I had time to think, photograph and film while also having access to archival material, and got to visit sites that I had previously only engaged with online. Another important development was co-running Cut Thumb ARI out of a shed in my West End share house when I was at art school. We ran an inconsistent program over two years, showing work by friends and colleagues alike. Running that space and getting to work with so many people during art school was a formative experience for me.

What research do you do? 
The majority of my time is spent doing research. I spend a lot of time in digital archives, forums, Wikipedia, internet deep dives and books. I usually get obsessed with a specific queer history and collect information, images and documents on it; everything I have access to. Often this won’t lead to an artwork straight away, but I collect this information in very informal ways, which then might become something weeks, months or even years later.

What is your most important tool as an artist? 
My computer. Without it, I don’t really know what I would do. I use a desktop, as I feel it situates my studio and makes it a space that I must spend time in. Having access to a printer is also critical. I like to print out and organise the images and documents that I have collected. Having both digital and physical copies of the information helps me to understand what I am doing.

How often do you visit art galleries or museums?
I think seeing exhibitions is one of the most important parts of being an artist. It is both motivating and important to understand what is happening around you. A friend of mine and I will often try to do ‘Art Fridays’, where we take the afternoon off to see current shows around the city, whether they are at artist-run spaces, institutions, museums or commercial galleries.

What’s the last gallery or exhibition you went to?
Vivienne Binns’s survey exhibition ‘On and Through the Surface’ (Monash University Museum of Art) was a really special show that I feel lucky to have spent time with. The exhibition brought together paintings from over 60 years of practice; the depth of her paintings was so wonderful to see in one exhibition. There was an intellectual and emotional honesty in her paintings that really resonated with me.

What are you working on now?
A really exciting collaborative research project that I am apart of is Kink, which is working to produce an online and accessible history of queer Australian art. This is a crazy ambitious project, but we are all super dedicated and believe that an accessible and user-friendly resource like this is vital.

Our team was fortunate to receive the Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship to undertake community consultation for the project. Talking to the community and hearing what they would want from this project has been essential.
 

‘Embodied Knowledge: Queensland Contemporary Art’ is at QAG from 13 August 2022. In conjunction with the exhibition, the cinema program ‘Queer Time’, curated by Callum McGrath, is screening at GOMA from 12 to 24 August 2022.