Author Description

This publication accompanies New Zealand collective et al.'s first Australian survey exhibition at Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA). The exhibition marks the largest presentation of the artists' work outside New Zealand since representing the nation at the 51st Venice Biennale in 2005. Curated by MUMA Senior Curator Pip Wallis, it encompasses installations from across the practice alongside a new film work. et al. comprises a constellation of artists and shifting identities, their anonymity calling into question the nature of authorship and the persistent preoccupation with the singular artistic vision. Their practice brings socio-political and philosophical reflections to bear on ideologies, power structures and models of collective thinking. With the increasing circulation of mis- and disinformation online, et al.'s practice provides a critical perspective on the growing polarisation of political attitudes and erosion of democracies worldwide. This major publication, sensitively designed by ¿iga Testen and Stuart Geddes, is richly illustrated and includes newly commissioned essays by four writers, curators and art historians: Jan Bryant, Natasha Conland, Gwynneth Porter and Pip Wallis. For the very first time, it includes a comprehensive bibliography and history of exhibitions, making a significant contribution to the scholarly recognition of the practice.