GenYM: Curating Gen Y Australian Muslim Artists

This thesis explores the curatorial impetus behind the group exhibition HERE&NOW16/GenYM (2016) showcasing the works of nine Australian Muslim artists who draw on their experiences growing up in Australia. Their works explore various topics such as migration, belonging, otherness, exclusion, spirituality and Islam. While there is much literature examining Muslim identities in the West, little has looked at the complexities of exhibiting Muslims in art and cultural institutions as well as the complexities of identity markers (i.e 'Muslim' and 'Islam') on individual artistic expression. This thesis explores some of the reasons why this may be the case and how Islamic and Muslim art may be looked at to further the bridge-building agenda between the so called dichotomy of 'Islam and the West'.