Curatorial
Mentorships.

John McNaught X
Nicole Durling

“I was nervous about being part of the project because I thought I wasn’t good enough, but now I think well it’s okay for you to like something or you don’t. You are always learning, I liked seeing the artists in Australia and England, I’m going to miss it – the people, the inspiration. It’s cracking how you get to know a painting.”

– John McNaught

Curatorial Mentorships pair an artist working from a supported studio with a professional curator as a mentor to produce and contextualise a digital project.

Over the months of January – March 2022, Australian based director and curator Nicole Durling, worked with Scottish artist John McNaught for Art et al.'s second Curatorial Mentorship. McNaught works from the Scottish studio, Project Ability, a Glasgow-based visual arts organisation creating opportunities for disabled people and people with lived experience of mental ill-health, aged 5 years to 80 plus, to express themselves and achieve their artistic potential. John was supported throughout by Valerie O’Regan, an Artist Practitioner from Project Ability.

Over zoom they discussed John’s love of always trying out new styles, never wanting to get bored or labelled as working in a particular way, and his interest in famous historical artists like Francis Bacon and Pablo Picasso. Nicole also noticed John’s attentiveness to detail and his passion for learning. Nicole shared her knowledge of being a curator in several Australian institutions, and what drives her passion for bringing together different groups of artists thematically. She spoke of going off her instincts and feelings, and what she is often drawn to emotionally. With John having visited Australia many years ago, shared conversations were also had about the Australian landscape, as well as memories John has of places before and after his brain injury.

This collection of work has developed from John’s diverse interests, and how he sees stories in artworks, which he often relates to his own work or personal life. Each section is linked thematically, but overall it is a collection of works that both John and Nicole felt an affinity with – be it a bright colour, pattern, subject, or just an interesting conversation that developed from it. Both liked the idea of this collection being something that made viewers think, and works that may remind them of something in their life at some point. Nicole helped John to pull the collection together in a way that audiences will be able to navigate through it, absorb a memory or idea, and take from it their own perspective or reflection. We hope you enjoy looking through this collection and reading both of their thoughts throughout.

Top left clockwise: Zoom conversation with John, Jennifer, Valerie and Nicole

Easy Read Download

A white man with dark hair gelled to stand on end, sits in a red tshirt in front of a desk. He is working on a painting in front of him and is surrounded by easels with other work on them

JOHN MCNAUGHT

John McNaught is a versatile and prolific artist working in the Aspire studios. In 2006, John suffered a massive stroke which has inhibited his speech and movement. John has been attending Project Ability since 2010, igniting his passion for painting and building his confidence with his practice.

John has a wonderful intuitive response to colour, shape and composition that breathes life and emotion into his work. His eclectic paintings of landscape and portraiture have been exhibited nationally and internationally.

a white woman with dark brown hair tied up and a thick fringe, with bright red lipstick stands against a green background of a forest. Nicole is dressed in a black jacket and top, with a thin white necklace just around the neck area

NICOLE DURLING

With a background as a practising ceramicist and lecturer in the medium, Nicole Durling was appointed in June 2021 as Executive Director of Craft Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Prior to this Nicole was Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Hobart, including serving as Senior Curator for 15 years, where she was responsible for leading the Curatorial and Collections teams. Selected as one of Mona’s foundation team, she was a key collaborator in the building design, curatorial direction, brand establishment, design and exhibition installation of the Mona collection prior to its opening in 2011. Nicole has curated and developed projects including solo exhibitions, sound art performances, ephemeral interventions and permanent commissions. From 2009 - 2017 she was one of the Artistic Curators for MONA FOMA festival and curated several projects for the Dark Mofo festival from 2013 to 2017. Nicole also holds a non-executive Board position for Melbourne’s, RISING festival.

One and the Same

Here, please find the booklet that finalises the Curatorial Mentorship between John McNaught and Nicole Durling titled One and the Same. Designed by Studio Mono, it is laid out as though you enter five different rooms that all feature as part of the same exhibition. Each room has a distinct theme, based on John’s interests, with a mix of selected studio artists from Submit to Love Studios in London, and more well-known contemporary artists from Australia and further afield. A ‘must’ for this partnership, was to include the work of Francis Bacon, one of John’s favourite artists, with his work being paired with the incredible Ben Quilty, whom Nicole suggested, and who we loved finding out about! Please enjoy looking through this booklet and reading John’s considerations on all the artworks featured. Click on the central button of the Issuu booklet to make it full screen, to look through it properly.