Cliff Lauson, a curator, participates in 'A brush with...' and shares his personal connection to art, citing Rodney Graham's self-portrait 'My Late Early Styles (Part I, The Middle Period)' as the single work he would live with. He reflects on formative cultural experiences, including working with Northwest Coast First Nations communities at the UBC Museum of Anthropology and seeing the ballet 'Tree of Codes' by Wayne McGregor with Olafur Eliasson and Jamie xx, which inspired his later collaboration on the exhibition 'Infinite Bodies'. Lauson also discusses his recurring engagement with Brian O'Doherty's book 'Inside the White Cube' and his unusual background as a curator who worked on a Star Wars film during his Clore Fellowship at Industrial Light and Magic.
This interview matters because it offers an intimate glimpse into the intellectual and creative influences shaping a contemporary curator's practice. Lauson's reflections highlight how cross-disciplinary experiences—from anthropology and ballet to visual effects—inform curatorial work, and his comments on art's purpose underscore the evolving role of curators in shaping audience perception. The piece also promotes the upcoming exhibition 'Wayne McGregor: Infinite Bodies' at Somerset House, signaling a major interdisciplinary art event in London.