Wes Hill

Biography

Dr. Wes Hill specialises in art history, arts education and media/visual/cultural studies. He holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Queensland and has a background in early childhood education. He previously served as Director of Higher Degree Research and Training (HDRT) for the Faculty of Business, Law and the Arts. He has over twenty years’ experience teaching at a tertiary level, in subject areas including art and design, folk culture, museum studies and creative industries education. From 2008-2011, Wes lived in France and Germany, before returning to Australia to teach at the University of Sydney. Since 2012 Wes has been awarded grants from Creative Australia (2004, 2008 and 2012), Arts Queensland (2004, 2006, 2012 and 2022) and the Australian Institute of Art History (University of Melbourne, 2023), among other organisations. He is active in the Australian and international arts industry as an art historian, critic, and curator, with a particular interest in post-Pop experimental art practices and creative pedagogies. Curated exhibitions include ‘Archie Moore’ (NCCA, Darwin), ‘Outside Thoughts’ (CAT, Hobart), ‘This is what I do’ (Metro Arts, Brisbane), ‘Speech Acts’ (UTS Gallery, Sydney) and ‘Jeff Gibson: Countertypes’ (Griffith University Art Museum, 2022). He currently lives in Lennox Head, NSW.

Research

Speciality research areas include visual art (modern, postmodern and contemporary), the history of the hipster, post-1960s practices and the blurring of education and creative practice. Research publications include ‘Jeff Gibson: False Gestalt’ (Griffith University/Perimeter Editions, 2023), ‘Art after the Hipster: Identity Politics, Ethics and Aesthetics’ (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), ‘Hipster Culture’ (Bloomsbury, 2021), ‘Shapes of Knowledge’ (Monash University Museum of Art, 2019) and ‘How Folklore Shaped Modern Art: A Post-Critical History of Aesthetics’ (Routledge, 2016). His writing has been published in numerous Australian and international art journals, including Artforum (New York), Frieze (London), Artlink, Media/Culture Journal, Critical Studies in Fashion and Beauty, Eyeline, and Art and Australia.

Supervision

Wes has examined and supervised numerous PhD projects in areas such as installation art, Op art, photojournalism, painting and archival practice. As an examiner he has participated in research projects for academic institutions such as Curtin University, Monash University, Griffith University and the University of New South Wales.

Teaching

Wes teaches cultural theory units in the Art and Design degree, including ‘Looking at Art,’ ‘Modern Art and the Avant-Garde,’ ‘Art After 1960,’ ‘Advanced Theories of Contemporary Art’ and ‘Creativity and Arts Industries’.

Other

Wes has received numerous grants and awards over his career, including funding from Creative Australia (formerly the Australia Council for the Arts), Arts Queensland, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australian Institute of Art History. He was appointed as a peer assessor by Creative Australia from 2019-2021, assessing nation-wide grant applications for individuals and arts organisations.