Hypnotising Chickens Art Forum

12 – 1pm, Friday 21 March 2025

University of Tasmania, School of Creative Arts, Dechaineux Lecture Theatre, Hunter Street, Nipaluna/Hobart

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Kylie Johnson will introduce Hypnotising Chickens: Recent Video Art from Vietnam and Tasmania, a partnership project between Saigon Experimental and Contemporary Art Tasmania (CAT), presented in Nipaluna/ Hobart, Tasmania and Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, Vietnam. Co-curated by Pham Nguyen Anh Tú, Linh Le and Kylie Johnson, the project brings together 12 artists from both locations: Ngọc Nâu, Sabio, Lêna Bùi. Hannah Foley, Reece Nicolaou, Lê Đình Chung, Trần Uy Đức, Trương Quế Chi, Việt Vũ, Matt Warren, Milly Yencken and Xiyue Zhang. Kylie will discuss the development of the project, including: a recent trip to Saigon to spend time at 3 leading independent art spaces, Sàn Art, Nguyen Art Foundation and MoT+++; how the curatorial relationships evolved; and the importance of international exchange.

Kylie Johnson is a curator at Contemporary Art Tasmania. Kylie has facilitated the Shotgun development program since its inception in 2010, to deliver targeted support and opportunity to Tasmanian artists through industry access, critical engagement and the provision of new work. She uses curatorship as a means of enabling and shaping the social relationships through which art is generated and believes that the most exciting advancements in curatorial practice occur when curators and organisations commit to long-term, contextually specific, supportive relationships with artists.

Kylie studied at the University of Tasmania, School of Art in Hobart, and part of this period involved postgraduate study at the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland. Supported by an Arts Tasmania Professional Development Fellowship, Kylie undertook research into innovative contemporary art organisation models at Matt’s Gallery, Studio Voltaire and other progressive art spaces in London. Most recently, Kylie received a Gordon Darling grant to travel to Ho Chi Minh City/ Saigon to assist her in building connections with Southeast Asian art organisations and artists. She has worked at Artspace in Sydney, contributed to various art advisory committees and panels in Australia and was part of the team that set up the Hobart ARI, Inflight (now Constance).