The new exhibition Namedropping at Mona is by turns enjoyable and uncomfortable, with ideas that pick at the way you see the world and then follow you out of the building.
I walk past the doll without giving it a second thought – I don’t even notice that it is split in two, stuffing cheerfully spilling out. It’s only when I learn that it was cut in half with the blade that reportedly beheaded Marie Antoinette that I retrace my steps, seek it out, and look at it closely.
The value that we put on fame is teased out in different ways. Autographs of celebrities are littered throughout. Walsh’s Order of Australia Medal is displayed in a room along with a poker table and a Holden Torana.
For a price, you can “name this gallery” and have your name appear on an LED display in one of the rooms. It’s temporary, though. The bidding starts at $5 – and all it takes to bump your name off is the next person paying a little more. The exhibition isn’t all about leveraging association for increased worth – it also examines how reputational damage or the removal of a previous association can affect how something is valued.
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