WHAT I€™M READING
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday August 8, 2009
Scottish-born Elizabeth Ann Macgregor is reading Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami after the MCA's recent Kusama exhibition left her feeling inspired."Murakami creates highly engaging characters and an acutely observed portrayal of Japan in the 1960s, yet the themes are universal and not culturally specific," says Macgregor, who moved to Sydney in 1999 when she took up the museum directorship.While studying art history, she read The Obstacle Race, by Germaine Greer, which "significantly impacted" her thinking about art and how history is constructed."Greer's meticulous account of woman artists up until the end of the 19th century addresses the question of the lack of great woman artists as defined by traditional art historical teaching, because of their social and educational situation," she says."The Obstacle Race made me question the way in which we were then taught a linear history of 'great' artists, who all happened to be men. I guess you might say that Greer stimulated my spirit of critical inquiry and led to my interest in artists who have not always been considered part of the mainstream."Macgregor says George Mackay Brown is "one of the greatest writers of our time", citing An Orkney Tapestry as her favourite book. "I love all of Mackay Brown's writing, which includes prose and poetry, but especially poignant are his essays about Orkney €“ where I grew up and where he spent his entire life €“ which powerfully evoke the magical qualities of the islands."Macgregor also names David Malouf and the Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin as inspirations. "I like Mackay Brown and Malouf for their lyrical storytelling and the imaginative power of their writing. In complete contrast, the gritty realism of Rankin's portrayal of the underbelly of Edinburgh keeps me enthralled to the end."Michelle Wilding
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
