About

Peter H. Johnson (he/him) is a curator and writer based in Canberra, Australia.

His curatorial research focuses on aesthetic and conceptual strategies of resistance, with a particular interest in online and socially engaged art practices.

He is currently Curatorial Lead at Newcastle Art Gallery. From 2019-2021 he was Curator, Projects at the National Gallery of Australia, focusing on contemporary projects and exhibitions by national and international artists. Recently he curated Project 1: Sarah Lucas (2021), the first solo exhibition in Australia of works by one of Britain’s most influential artists, and XU ZHEN®: ETERNITY VS EVOLUTION (2020), bringing this leading Chinese artist to Australian audiences.

From 2015-2019 he worked as Assistant Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, supporting the activities of C3West, a program of socially engaged projects across Western Sydney. He also curated the annual Bella Commission (2014-2019), an interactive space for people of all abilities, and the MCA’s inaugural online commission - transmission detox (2015) by Marian Tubbs.

Peter's independent practice includes major gallery exhibitions, editing, research and writing. In 2019 he co-curated In Character at Verge Gallery, Sydney and in 2016, he co-curated The Fraud Complex as part of the Next Wave Festival at West Space, Melbourne.

In 2016, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Firstdraft, Sydney's oldest artist-run initiative, for a two-year term and served as the inaugural Chair. 

Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts (Advanced) from the University of Sydney and a Master of Arts Administration from University of New South Wales Art & Design.

Contact

Email: peterhjohnson1 [at] gmail.com
Instagram: @peterhjohnson

Acknowledgement

I acknowledge and pay my respect to the Traditional Custodians of the Canberra region, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples and their Elders past and present.