A new exhibition, Namedropping, will open at the Museum of Old and New Art in June 2024. The exhibition will see Mona’s curators zero in on status and the human pursuit—often fast and ferocious—of looking good in the eyes of others.
The exhibition of some 200 artworks and objects assembled in Mona’s subterranean galleries will pose questions: What makes the big names significant: Porsche, Picasso or Pompidou? What is the nature of status, and why is it useful? Is status all about culture, or is there something deeper?
With Mona’s raison d’être that art is deeply founded in human biology rather than purely cultural, Namedropping explores how status works. The exhibition highlights the ways people, universally across time, have used status signals—including art, brands, allegiance and association—as tools for selecting both sexual partners and social allies. And what does this mean in the contemporary world?
The bloke who owns Mona says, ‘I like David Bowie. If you like Bowie, it’s a good bet you’ll like Mona. That’s why we namedrop. Those with status convey status to those without status (but only if they share tastes).
If you like Jimmy Swaggart, you won’t like Mona, so don’t come.
The new Round Room 2010–2012 – Michael Zavros – Oil on canvas – Art Gallery of New South Wales- © Michael Zavros Image courtesy Art Gallery of New South Wales.
The artworks and other exhibits in Namedropping come from diverse sources—from cricket to coffins to cars, Ming to the Impressionists, fashion and a funfair, antiquity to now.
Jane Clark, Mona Senior Research Curator, says: ‘We Mona curators aren’t scientists, but we understand that status has served valuable purposes in human societies over evolutionary time. Competition, both for mates and social position, may be critical to the very origins of human creativity.
Namedropping will show visitors a good time, with plenty of celebrities, rarities and niche-interest treasures. But there’s more to think about—as always at Mona. Like most humans, status-seeking can have dark consequences: inequality and discrimination, for example, and Ponzi schemes, fakery and fast fashion.’
And now for some more names:
Francis Bacon, Chuck Close, Charles Darwin, Simon Denny, Marcel Duchamp, Raoul Dufy, Sylvie Fleury, Audrey Frost, Guerilla Girls, Lola Greeno, Jenny Holzer, Anselm Kiefer, Barbara Kruger, Wang Lei, Vincent Namatjira, Ned Kelly, Isaac Newton, Henry Ottmann, Cornelia Parker, Elizabeth Peyton, Chopper Read, Romance Was Born, Tom Sachs, Tino Sehgal, William Shakespeare, Taryn Simon, Darren Sylvester, Danh Vo, Andy Warhol, Ai Weiwei, He Xiangyu and Michael Zavros.
The exhibition includes artworks and objects from Mona’s own collection (many never displayed before), newly commissioned works, loans from international and Australian national and state institutions (except the NGV), artists, and significant private collections.
Running from 15 June 2024 until 21 April 2025, Namedropping delves into our human nature—we all seek status, but for what?—and goes to the heart of what makes Mona, Mona.
A fully illustrated catalogue with writing from David Walsh and Mona’s curatorial team will be available from the Mona shop.
Mona’s exhibition design partner for Namedropping is Art Processors.
Namedropping will open with a Gala at Mona. Tickets will be made available to the public for the first time for this historically invitation-only affair. Attendees will be the first to see the exhibition on Friday, 14 June, with proceeds from ticket purchases raising funds for Material Institute. The first allocation of tickets for the Mona Gala will go on sale in March.
