Brook Andrew

The cultural status of historical objects is central to the work of Brook Andrew (1970, Sydney, Australia). With his creations, he fuels the debate about the institutional ‘dividing line’ between art forms from different continents that determines whether they constitute art or ethnographic objects.

The visually arresting Jumping Castle War Memorial (2010) - which would not seem out of place in an amusement park – brings these relationships into focus with its visual references to different cultural traditions. Andrews created this jumping castle as a memorial to the victims of genocide brought about by colonisation in general, and in Australia more specifically. The work is a memorial to the forgotten indigenous populations for whom no official monument exists. In Andrew’s world view, a large group of forgotten people are given a voice once more. Anyone wishing to negate this can simply jump onto the castle.

Brook Andrew lives and works in Melbourne, Australia.