Connection at the Lume

Connection, the multi-media exhibition at Lume showcasing aboriginal art from all over Australia has ended on the weekend. On Lume’s own event website, the exhibition was announced with the usual fanfare:

Connection was born from an idea to celebrate First Peoples’ art and music and give back to their artist communities. Within the brushstrokes and melodies of their art and music, this landmark experience tells the story of our country’s rich and enduring cultural history.

And that’s what it is: An experience with all its negative connotations.

Two small rooms that feature actual art. One is a collection of paintings hung side by side without apprarant curation. The other is Emily’s Wall, an admittedly impressive mural that is expanded by mirrors mounted on the room’s ceiling and floor giving the impression of an boundless artwork. Emily’s Wall should be the centre piece of the exhibition.

The most room, however, is taken up by the main hall, both in space and in Lume’s marketing. A humongous area broken up by canvases hanging from the ceiling. A continuous reel of animated art is playing, underlined by music and the occasional sound piece, each segment no more than a minute long. It creates a colourful atmosphere, the ideal scenery to gather photographic evidence that you were there. And so, few people are taking in the projections, many more are taking photos of themselves to post said evidence on Instagram.

All grandeur aside, Connection is no more than aboriginal art and culture repackaged in short videos and soundbites, optimised for the consumerist mind of the TikTok generation.