New Start: the Marrgu Residency Program and the Future of Showing

− Abstract

This paper addresses the ontology of residencies, interrogating artist residencies in relation to the ostensive, that involves the act of showing, displaying, exhibiting and demonstrating something. By focusing on a digital project curated by the author for the Marrgu Residency Program—an Indigenous-led initiative developed by the Durrmu Arts Centre in Peppimenarti (Northern Territory, Australia)—La Rosa employs a practice-led rather than purely theoretical methodology. In parallel, and through a discussion on the current developments of the Marrgu digital residency, the paper addresses the future of showing for regionally based artists of non-Western heritage, in a globalised digital world. It ultimately advocates for an innovative understanding of ostension framed as a hosting practice: an act of connection rather than display.