Dr Daniel McKewen
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Creative Arts,
Contemporary Art
Biography
Dr Daniel McKewen is a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Art at QUT where he teaches Studio Practice and Time-based Art units. His practice as a visual artist, and educator considers the intersections of contemporary art, screen culture, economics, and politics. His research ranges across numerous artforms and fields of visual culture, exploring how institutions, systems and structures of power inform our individual and collective imaginations. His artworks reflect on how our we are shaped and challenged by ideological and aesthetic conventions, and how these allow us to make sense of our social experiences.In 2013 Daniel was awarded his Doctorate of Philosophy from Queensland University of Technology for his thesis The Art of Being a Fan: Complicity and Criticality in Contemporary Art and Fandom. His artwork is held in public and private collections and has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including in the 2023 and 2021 Ramsay Art Prize at the Art Gallery of South Australia; Conflict in my Outlook at University of Queensland Art Museum; Currency at New Media Gallery, Vancouver; Art Mixtape at HOTA Gold Coast; NEW14 at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, and You Imagine What You Desire at the 19th Biennale of Sydney. Daniel was a founding member of the artist-run-initiative Boxcopy, and from 2016-2023 was a board member of Metro Arts. Daniel's art practice is represented by Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
Personal details
Positions
- Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Creative Industries, Education & Social Justice,
School of Creative Arts,
Contemporary Art
Keywords
contemporary art, digital media, video art, screen culture, creative practice, popular culture, fandom, installation
Research field
Visual arts
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
Art Association of Australia and New Zealand (AAANZ) National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) (Professional member), Former Board Member of Metro Arts and Boxcopy Contemporary Art Space.
Teaching
Daniel coordinates Visual Arts Open Studio 3 & 4 and Time-Based Art: Moving Images, as well as teaching into units in Situated Creative Practice, Spatial Art, and Open Studio 5 & 6. In 2023 he received a Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence and a Faculty Learning and Teaching Award. In 2017 and 2012, he also received a Vice-Chancellor's Performance Fund award for excellence in teaching.
Experience
Daniel's artworks are held in public and private collections and have been exhibited nationally and internationally, including in the 2023 and 2021 Ramsay Art Prize at the Art Gallery of South Australia; Conflict in my Outlook at University of Queensland Art Museum; Currency at New Media Gallery, Vancouver; Art Mixtape at HOTA Gold Coast; NEW14 at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, and You Imagine What You Desire at the 19th Biennale of Sydney. Daniel was a founding member of the artist-run-initiative Boxcopy, and from 2016-2023 was a board member of Metro Arts. Daniel's art practice is represented by Milani Gallery, Brisbane.
Publications
- Lobwein, G. & McKewen, D. (2024). Expanded Experience: an 'artist-bricoleur' approach to writing VR in contemporary art. In KD. & A. Munt (Eds.), Screenwriting for Virtual Reality: Story, Space and Experience (pp. 205–229). Palgrave Macmillan. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/241724
- McKewen, D., Lobwein, G. & Mauro, A. (2023). A Dark Forest. Presented at: 2023 Ramsay Art Prize [Visual Art Work]. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/241755
- McKewen, D., Lobwein, G. & Mauro, A. (2021). A Rising Tide [Visual Art Work]. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/227053
- McKewen, D., (2021). The 'ideo-log' project [Visual Art Work]. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/206997
- McKewen, D., (2021). 'Stop the ride, I don't want to get off: our digital adolescence'. Presented at: 2021 Digital Intimacies #7 Symposium. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/234784
- McKewen, D., (2020). Digital Naivety and the displaced studio. ACUADS 2020 Conference: Crisis and Resilience: art and design looks ahead. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/234636
- McKewen, D., (2018). Climbing (4502-4000). Presented at: Climbing (4502-4000) [Visual Art Work]. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/123942
- McKewen, D. & Mauro, A. (2018). Promissory estoppel. Presented at: Promissory estoppel [Visual Art Work]. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/123939
- Mckewen, D., (2014). Running Men. Presented at: Running Men [Visual Art Work]. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/94144
- McKewen, D., (2014). Zarathustra's Cave. Presented at: Zarathustra's Cave [Visual Art Work]. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/94146
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Daniel, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Assessor, Examiner or Supervisor Role
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Honours examiner in Visual Arts
- Type
- Curatorial/Juried selection of work for Exhibition Recording/Screening etc.
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Selected as a finalist, with commissioned new work, for the 2016 John Fries Art Award. Exhibited in the exhibition 'Neo-Normal' at UNSW Galleries, curated by Oliver Watts.
- Type
- Curatorial/Juried selection of work for Exhibition Recording/Screening etc.
- Reference year
- 2016
- Details
- Two video artworks selected for the touring exhibition 'Creative Accounting', curated by Holly Williams (The Curator's Department). Toured to seven metro and regional galleries over 2 years.
- Type
- Advisor/Consultant for Industry
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- Board member position of the Metro Arts Advisory Group. This consultancy role provides programming, curatorial, and organisational input and advice to Exhibitions program at this multi-arts institution.
- Type
- Recipient of an Australia Council Grant or Australia Council Fellowship
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- This Australia Council 'Arts Project' grant, 'Strange Loops' comprised the creation and exhibition of numerous new artworks that were exhibited in nine exhibitions over the course of the project. The grant contributed to materials, equipment, fabrication, and transport costs as well as artist fees for the development and display of this new expansion of activity in my practice. Key outcomes of the project were the preparation and execution of a solo exhibition, as well as the creation of new works for group and nationally touring exhibitions. These new works in the form of videos, objects, and paintings; conceptually investigated and poetically reflected on the complex conditions and contemporary experience, of late capitalism.
- Type
- Curatorial/Juried selection of work for Exhibition Recording/Screening etc.
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Multi-channel video installation 'Running Men' selected for exhibition in the 'You Imagine What You Desire', the 19th Biennale of Sydney.
- Type
- Curatorial/Juried selection of work for Exhibition Recording/Screening etc.
- Reference year
- 2014
- Details
- Selected in 2014 for inclusion in 'NEW14' at Australian Centre of Contemporary art. New work was commissioned by ACCA and curated by Kyla McFarlane.
- Type
- Recipient of an Australia Council Grant or Australia Council Fellowship
- Reference year
- 2013
- Details
- This Australia Council 'New Work' grant, enabled the creation of a new body of work for a commercial solo exhibition, as well as other new works for three major national group exhibitions. The primary portion of the grant contributed towards 'Spectral Value' at Milani Gallery in Brisbane. This exhibition combined screen-based installations alongside drawings and sculptures that focused on the GFC, economics, and the financial industry. The project also supported the creation of two major new screen-based works; for 'NEW14' at ACCA in Melbourne, and 'The List' at Campbelltown Arts Centre. The ACCA work combined single-screen projection and surround sound to create a new viewing experience of a familiar sitcom-screen-space. For the exhibition at Campbelltown Arts Centre, a 6-channel synchronized screen installation was created that re-configured existing fragments of film and television dialog into new conversations. Finally, the grant allowed me to create 2 new artworks to accompany exi
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2012
- Details
- Queensland recipient of the QANTAS Foundation Encouragement of Contemporary Art Award
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2007
- Details
- Recipient of QUT Postgraduate Research Award
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Spatial Perspective Mapping: Interdisciplinary and Virtual Practice in 1920's Berlin and Contemporary Art
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Emeritus Professor Andrew Mcnamara
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.