Facing new worlds: comparative histories of Australasia and North America

Facing New Worlds turns around a major exhibition to be held at the National Portrait Gallery in 2020 in conjunction with the Smithsonian. This exhibition will explore comparisons between indigenous and settler experiences in Australia and the United States, through portraiture and biography, from the late 18th to the early 19th centuries.

Our research project extends the remit of this exhibition to look at the Australia-Pacific region as a whole, as well as all of North America, during this critical era of modern imperial formation. Its focus on life representation brings together historians, art historians, curators, and cultural analysts. Our team will work together on an earlier mini-exhibition of the Australasian region, as well as on a scholarly catalogue to accompany the major exhibition, and numerous other academic and public outputs and events.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Australian Research Council, the National Portrait Gallery, Macquarie University, the University of Sydney, and the Australian National University.