Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Helen Hughes co-founded and co-edits the Melbourne contemporary art journal Discipline, and is an editor of the peer-reviewed art history journal EMAJ. Since 2013, Helen has organised the Discipline contemporary art lecture series (originally in collaboration with Gertrude Contemporary), and, with sound art organisation Liquid Architecture, the 'Histories and Theories of Sound' lecture series, which have featured lectures by Rex Butler, Justin Clemens, Helen Johnson, Jan Bryant, Douglas Kahn, Branden W. Joseph, Terry Smith, Adrian Martin, amongst many more.
Her research focuses on Australian art history and international contemporary art. In particular, Helen is interested in theories of contemporary art - how this moment may differ from the modern and postmodern periods that preceded it. Helen has written for journals such as CACSA Broadsheet, Art & Australia, EMAJ, Eyeline, Artlink, Discipline and frieze. She is also the Melbourne critic for Artforum. Recent edited publications include Tom Nicholson: Lines towards Another (2017, with Amelia Barikin), Kiffy Rubbo: Curating the 1970s (2016, with Janine Burke), Three Reflections on Contemporary Art History (2014, with Nicholas Croggon), Making Worlds: Art and Science Fiction (2013, with Ameila Barikin), and Impresario: Paul Taylor (2013, with Nicholas Croggon).
Helen has worked as curator of research at Monash University Museum of Art, where she worked on exhibitions and publications including Mutlu Cerkez: 1988-2065 (2018), and as curator at Gertrude Contemporary, where she presented exhibitions Marrnyula Mununggurr: Ganybu and David Egan: Actually Energy Help Light in 2015, and, co-curated with Spiros Panigirakis and in collaboration with community radio station 3CR, If People Powered Radio: 40 Years of 3CR in 2016. Helen co-curated the 2016 TarraWarra Biennial: Endless Circulation with both Discipline and TarraWarra Museum director, Victoria Lynn.
She received her PhD in Art History at the University of Melbourne in 2015.
Education/Academic qualification
Art History, PhD, University of Melbourne
Award Date: 15 Dec 2015
Art History, Bachelor of Arts (Hons), University of Melbourne
Award Date: 22 Aug 2009
Research area keywords
- Australian art
- art of empire
- convict art
- art historiography
- contemporary art
- art criticism
- contemporary curatorial practice
Network
Projects
- 2 Finished
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Forger-Convict-Artist: The Criminalisation of Forgery and Colonial Australian Art, 1788-1868
1/11/19 → 31/08/20
Project: Research
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Discipline and Ensayos: Perspectives on Contemporary Australian and Chilean Art
30/03/18 → 21/12/18
Project: Research
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Figuring Folk Justice: Francis Howard Greenway’s Prison Scenes from Newgate, Bristol, 1812
Hughes, H., 2020, In: Index Journal. 2, 26 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access -
9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art
Hughes, H., 2019, Frieze, 202, p. 140-141 2 p.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Short Review › Research
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Drawing Unity: The Transcendental Abstraction of Roger Kemp
Hughes, H., 2019, Melbourne, Vic, Australia: National Gallery of Victoria. 8 p.Research output: Book/Report › Catalogue › Research
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Ensayos Methodologies
Hughes, H., 2019, Discipline, 5, p. 121 1 p.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article › Research
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Helen Hughes on Dale Hickey
Hughes, H., 2019, Artforum International, 57, 8.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Short Review › Research
Activities
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Forgery in Early Colonial Australian Art: A Case Study of Francis Greenway's Prison Scenes
Helen Hughes (Contributor)
28 Nov 2019Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Faking It! Forgery and Fabrication in Late Medieval and Early Modern Culture
Helen Hughes (Speaker)
15 Aug 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Shapeshifters: New Forms of Curatorial Research
Tara McDowell (Organiser), Helen Hughes (Member of programme committee), Charles Francis Sofo (Invited speaker) & Lucreccia Maria Gomez Quintanilla (Invited speaker)
13 Mar 2019 → 14 Mar 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
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Postnational Art Histories
Helen Hughes (Speaker)
11 Jun 2019 → 15 Jun 2019Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to workshop, seminar, course
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Annual Conference of the Art Association of Australia and New Zealand 2018
Helen Hughes (Speaker)
5 Dec 2018 → 7 Dec 2018Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Contribution to conference
Press / Media
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THE AUSTRALIAN: 'Kemp’s consistent line in the service of order and unity'
23/08/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Article/Feature
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The National Picture: Interview with Greg Lehman
1/08/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Profile/Interview
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ART GUIDE AUST: 'Seeing voices in regional Australia'
Hannah Mathews, Francis Parker & Helen Hughes
14/02/19
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Review
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TRIPLE M: 'Riddoch Art Gallery exhibitions'
Helen Hughes, Francis Parker & Hannah Mathews
24/07/18
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Other