About
Peter H. Johnson (he/him) is a curator and writer based in Newcastle, Australia.
His curatorial research focuses on aesthetic and conceptual strategies of resistance, with a particular interest in online, socially engaged, and queer art practices.
He is currently Curatorial Lead at Newcastle Art Gallery, where he is responsible for the care, development, presentation, and interpretation of one of Australia’s leading public collections.
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. He was privileged to work with Hetti Perkins and the First Nations curatorial team on The 4th National Indigenous Art Triennial: Ceremony (2021).
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 Newcastle, the Awabakal and Worimi peoples and their Elders past and present.