Curating ‘Now’: Chloe Cull & Mikala Tai

Curating 'Now’ is an ongoing program series that considers distinct curatorial forms of contemporary exhibition-making through critical case studies by Australian and international curators. Established in 2024, the Visiting Curators Programme (VCP) is an exchange programme between UNSW Galleries and Te Uru Waitākere Contemporary Gallery, designed to foster deeper engagement between practitioners and institutions in Aotearoa and Australia. The VCP facilitates ongoing connections between Australia and Aotearoa, creating opportunities for exchange and strengthening relationships across the region’s art communities. In this conversation, 2026 programme participants Chloe Cull and Mikala Tai will discuss their approaches to curatorial research and practice. — Chloe Cull (Kāi Tahu, Aerani, Ingarani) is Pouarataki Curator Māori at Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. She develops exhibitions that explore and uplift Indigenous knowledge and storytelling. Recent projects include Whāia te Taniwha (2025), John Vea: Ini Mini Mani Mou (2025), Toloa Tales (2024), and Te Rā: The Māori Sail. She has also co-edited the publications Whāia te Taniwha: Stories from Te Waipounamu and Whenua (2025). Mikala Tai is an independent writer, curator and cultural strategist based in Sydney. Specialising in contemporary Australian and Asian art, she has worked across local, national and international organisations to strengthen cultural connections between Australia and Asia. Most recently Head of Visual Arts at Creative Australia and formerly Director of 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, she was Project Director for Archie Moore’s Gold Lion–winning kith and kin. She continues to write, curate and contribute to cultural discourse across Australia and the Asia-Pacific. — ‘Curating Now’ is an ongoing programming series developed in partnership between UNSW Galleries and the Masters of Curating & Cultural Leadership program at UNSW Art & Design.