Perth Museum and Art Gallery is to showcase a new exhibition, Kill Your Darlings, by artist Anthony Schrag that invites the public to question what a museum collection is and who it should be for.

Anthony has been working as Artist-in-Residence with Culture Perth and Kinross since 2019, and the exhibition is a culmination and reflection of his time there. The exhibition intends to explore and challenge the public’s perceptions of a museum collection and to foster a greater awareness of the value of public ownership, while at the same time broadening public engagement and increasing awareness of representation and diversity within displays and collections.

Anthony will invite visitors to vote for their ‘most valued’ object in the Kill Your Darlings exhibition and participate in discussions and workshops exploring how objects in the museum collection are understood and portrayed. His progressive and interactive exhibition will challenge visitors to consider what value we place on objects and which collections items they would ‘save’ if given the opportunity.

The collection cared for by Perth Museum and Art Gallery has more than 500,000 items, from fine art to ancient history and social heritage to natural sciences. The Nationally Significant Collection is preserved and cared for by a dedicated team.

Kill Your Darlings will explore these collections and will be accompanied by a series of public discussions, events, and debates on identity, nationalism and climate change, asking how these impact historical objects and the values we place upon them.

Ashleigh Hibbins, Head of Audiences and Learning with Culture Perth and Kinross, said, “The team have been working with Anthony since before the first lockdown and are excited to finally be able to bring his work to the public. His involvement with the collections and museum practice has been positively provocative and challenging. The exhibition and events allow Anthony to bring discussions with our audiences to the forefront, encouraging visitors to see the collection as something to which they can contribute to and influence. The exhibition will extend the ongoing process of involvement and representation as we seek to reach new audiences and critically evaluate the Museum’s position within culture and community.”

Kill Your Darlings opens on February 12 2022 at Perth Museum and Art Gallery. Admission is free.