Paper short abstract:

As an ethnography of artistic events that never took place in the public realm they were designed for because of uncertainty, this paper aims to do a survey of methods with which museums are attempting to manage uncertainty by opening display practices to interventions by contemporary artists.

Paper long abstract:

"The content of this painting is invisible; the character and dimension of the content are to be kept permanently secret, known only to the artist." Imants Tillers

Bristling with secrets, the content of anthropology museums provoke some artists in a way that is critical beyond what the institution will accept within its policy, which acts as a representation of its history (rather than its mission). Contradictions between the mission of anthropology museums and their flexibility in allowing contemporary artists to fulfill their aims will be one focus of this paper.

What are the most productive provocations of cultural policy that contemporary art has made and how does uncertainty come to light in those projects? The issue of authorship underlies some of the uncertainty that socially engaged

contemporary art faces. Through the participation of the public, the control of the author is uncertain and open to collaboration. Also, ethnography of artistic events that never took place in the public realm they were designed for because of uncertainty is a rich shadow aspect that will be explored. The way that contemporary art intends to rupture the certainty of museum narratives is the focus of this paper. It aims to do a survey of methods with which museums are attempting to manage uncertainty by opening their practices to interventions by contemporary artists. It takes a range of international event-spaces, including examples such from the British Museum, The Royal British Columbia Museum, and art practices such as Fred Wilson.