Sydney Modern, Sydney, New South Wales
Built on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation
McGregor CoxallS
Sydney has a new art gallery, the Sydney Modern. By calling the new wing of the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) “modern,” the AGNSW is distinguishing the new from the old, drawing on art historical terms. Reviewing a project that calls itself “modern” in an issue dedicated to “innovation” begs inquiry into the two words, which pivot around time. When treating them as adjectives, the Oxford English Dictionary defines “modern” as “relating to the present or recent times as opposed to the remote past” and “innovative” as “featuring new methods [or] advanced and original.”
