Tracking the Invisible: Collection Management and Conservation of Time-Based Art at Qagoma

Abstract

Time-based art (TBA) in the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art's (QAGOMA) Collection has expanded in conjunction with the development of the Asia Pacific Triennial (APT) exhibition series. A survey of TBA acquired following the 1st to 9th APT exhibitions collected data on the status of this group of works. Coinciding with the development of a cross-disciplinary TBA working group and the beginning of the Gallery's Digital Transformation Initiative (DTI), the survey findings have helped to inform how collection management practices for TBA at QAGOMA can be improved to meet the unique conservation needs of this group of works of art. Using information gathered, conservators dedicated to the preservation of TBA have been adapting traditional conservation processes and developing new approaches for the active management of TBA within the Collection. The survey is a small but enlightening step in the ongoing process of TBA conservation and collection management development at QAGOMA.