HUM Ups Visibility of New Zealand Artists Abroad

New Zealand doesn’t have a dedicated cultural diplomacy wing like the British Council or the Goethe-Institut. To help amplify New Zealand visual art on the global stage, Pauline Autet established online platform Contemporary HUM. Ocula features a story about Contemporary HUM’s new website.

Contemporary HUM was launched in 2016 by Paris-based editor Autet following her experience as the attendant at Simon Denny’s Secret Power exhibition representing New Zealand at the 2015 Venice Biennale.

“The exhibition was extremely successful internationally, but that wasn’t well known in New Zealand,” Autet said. “I thought that was really odd in the digital age. I found our geographical isolation a frustrating obstacle to being part of a global community and discourse.”

The goal is at once to help New Zealanders follow what their compatriots are doing abroad and help international art appreciators and professionals better understand the context behind New Zealand artists’ work.

Original article by Ocula, July 21, 2021.

Photo by Contemporary HUM.