The New Farm Powerhouse Conversion Project

The museum is a paradigm of contemporary cultural activity. Museums and state galleries in Australia are institutions that have their origin in the British Empire. The colonial repetition of European models suppressed the visual cosmos that existed before the white man's arrival. Our state galleries are full of paintings that describe the colony and mythologise the place, culminating in the nationalistic depiction of Australia as the golden land. At the same time, they have housed the masterpieces of Europe that they could afford. Politically, they have been a symbol of the relationship between capital and culture.