Central to Ōtautahi/Christchurch artist Julia Holderness’ practice is an interest in art history and women practitioners, and how archives might allow us to engage with the current moment. She is guided in her work by the late artist-designer Florence Weir (a fictional character), who was a guide to her research on the Modernist period.
How interesting, Julia — tell us more about that… The idea of a virtual archive is significant to my work — a space where the invented figure facilitates connections that go beyond recorded histories and has the potential to fill in gaps. Florence is a fantasy character that can be placed in a variety of histories. She is a bridge between different movements, eras and people.
Having completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury and an honours year in visual arts at AUT, you’ve just wrapped up your PhD in practice-led visual arts at AUT — what was your focus for that? Titles Ever Present Archiving: Methodologies of art history through invention and fabrication The social practice of adolescent girlsMy PhD project is an exploration of archives and the construction art-historical stories. By using invented personae in my artworks, exhibitions, and installations, I…
