In his signature wide-brimmed hat and artfully draped clothes, Jonathan Wilson is standing in the heart of the new building at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney. Wilson is the institution’s Music and Community Curator, and he is speaking passionately about his job, peppering his speech with names of obscure artists, film references, historical facts, metaphors and similes. As one of the world’s few music curators at a world-class art museum, Wilson stands out—both visually and in the current institutional landscape.
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“My role is unique,” he tells Observer. “I have a fine arts degree; I also ran a record company, I wrote television scores and I have an understanding of how these things can work in symbiosis.” Wilson has been working with the Gallery since 2016 in community engagement capacities. Ever since starting his new role in 2022, Wilson has been involved in the museum’s programming across the board: infusing exhibitions with sound, crafting musical events to embed in the different galleries and collaborating with artists. “I spend about thirty hours a week trying to find and understand new music,” he says. “Another big part is writing a lot about music, and spending time with artists and curatorial colleagues talking about their programs.”
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His inaugural........