Lisa McDonald
Research Student
Education
2007: Master of Art Curatorship, University of Melbourne (Australia)
2002: Bachelor of Arts, University of Melbourne (Australia)
Research Interests
Pacific culture, heritage and history; contemporary Pacific art practices; curatorship and museology
PhD Thesis
Contemporary Art of Vanuatu: Contexts, Creativity, Forms and Markets
This doctoral thesis will explore the development and production of contemporary art in Vanuatu since the country’s declaration of independence in 1980. The social, political and economic milieux of creation and exhibition will be examined, along with the relationship between kastom, social identity and visual representation. Art historical, anthropological and museological methodologies will be adopted to contextualize current day ni-Vanuatu art practices and locate indigenous cultural production in local and international contexts.