Elly Kent

Dr. Elly Kent is a Lecturer at the School of Culture, History & Language at Australian National University (ANU). With a PhD in Visual Art and Art History from ANU's School of Art and Design, her expertise spans Indonesian contemporary art, museum studies, and socially engaged art practices. She has held roles in academia, museums, and international education sectors, leveraging her intercultural networks and project management skills across Australia and Southeast Asia.

Her research focuses on Indonesian art's engagement with politics, society, and history, highlighted by her award-winning book Artists and the People: Ideologies of Indonesian Art (NUS Press, 2022) and co-edited volume Living Art: Indonesian Artists Engage Politics, Society and History (ANU Press, 2023). Recent publications explore Jakarta's contemporary art scenes, Papuan narratives in art, and collective art practices.

• Research Interests: Indonesian art history, socially engaged art, museum education, environmental activism, gender in cultural practices, and centre-periphery dynamics.
• Awards: AAANZ 2024 Best Book Prize Highly Commended and ICAS 2023 Book Prize Accolade for her monograph.

Her work bridges academic research with public engagement, including curatorial projects and exhibitions that critically address cultural identity and socio-political issues in Indonesia and beyond.