The National Gallery of Australia has thousands of paper works in its collection: paintings, drawings, posters, prints, scrolls, documents, screens, books and more. Senior paper conservator at the National Gallery of Australia Andrea Wise is one of the main people in charge of maintaining and preserving this extensive and varied collection.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The British-born Wise has been a conservator for more than 30 years and has worked at the gallery since 1997.
Visitors to the gallery on Saturday will have the rare opportunity to see how Wise and other conservators - in areas such as textiles, objects and digital media - do their work as part of this weekend's Flourish event.
Wise is trained in chemistry and physics, both disciplines which are necessary for her work. She and her colleagues employ many different tools and techniques, ranging from using baths of deionised water to deacidify paper to using infra-red and X-ray technology to analyse and authenticate items.
She says while gallery employees make use of modern technology, they also employ some techniques and materials that go back centuries. These include Japanese kozo, mitsumata and gampi paper - "it's light and strong" - to Japanese-style Karibari boards. Each board takes a week to make, with many layers of paper applied, and is used to dry and stretch artwork.
One work that will be on display in the conservation laboratory will be the 16th century Japanese screen The Imperial Outing and Hunt. It has been in the collection since 2008.
"It's in remarkable condition," Wise says.
But it still presents challenges, she adds, such as the green-blue patina acquired over centuries that has changed some of the colours.
"It's like detective work, and it's about how we deal with challenges," she says. At least one conservator has gone on to work for the Australian Federal Police in forensic science.
Wise says visitors are "more than welcome to ask questions that will help them with their collections at home."
Other behind-the-scenes experiences will include tours of the gallery's archives and its library. On Sunday there will be a free live concert in the Sculpture Garden featuring "dirtgirl" from ABC Kids’ dirtgirlworld, as well as workshops, performances and installations inspired by spring.
Flourish will be held at the National Gallery of Australia from Saturday October 6 to Sunday October 7. For more information and bookings see nga.gov.au/flourish/.
