THE DISCOURSE OF CURATORS/ A PRAXIS ANALYSIS IN CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITIONS

Year 2021, , 969 - 989, 20.12.2021

Nevin Yalçın Beldan

https://doi.org/10.29135/std.868901

Abstract

In the 1960s, the art world witnessed the concept of independent curatorship, which is not only within the limits of the general acceptance of the institution they work for but also alternative exhibitions carried out by these curators. The biennials, which gained momentum especially in the 1990s, caused curators to develop a new interface in terms of artists and audiences and in the context of national, international, local and universal aspects. This changes the description of the job offering a field of experience that introduces a phenomenon of the ‘creative curator’ and it causes re-evaluation of the position of curators. Therefore, the curators discussed here are contemporary art curators who are professionally autonomous from a certain job description, whose working profile has been updated and have an act within the body of new meanings attributed to them. On the other hand, contemporary art curators have an active role in the art world, but they are also in the centre of the main points of many chronic problems related to art. In the 1960s, the definition of curating of classical museology was out of question because a new curator emerged. While the concept of making independent exhibitions was within the national borders in the beginning, it started to be made international after the 1960s. New definitions such as “curators as designers” or “curators as critics” were attributed to the independent curators after this process. Each curator has a unique way of working and handling the exhibition. One of the most important factors in maturing this method is the curators’ journeys of cultural discovery. Curators may encounter some difficulties such as lack of support of resources and institutional constraints during the organisation of exhibitions. However, managerial skills such as risk management and effective decision-making are extremely important in overcoming these difficulties. Biennials are the organizations where curators may encounter these situations the most.
In this research, the contemporary curatorial discourse that developed within the global art network that has been carried to the present day after curators’ transformation, the main elements that constitute the building blocks of this central discourse, the point of curators, their purpose as independent curators, the working systems within institutions such as museums, the areas of experience within the scope of mega exhibitions and some questions such as the arguments about the boundaries of the profession have been tried to be explained. Additionally, terms such as curatorial, postcuratorial, paracuratorial and curator as a flâneur, which make the curators’ discourse more comprehensible, are discussed, and contemporary curators’ approach to exhibitions and their methodology are examined as well.
In this paper, general scanning type of observation and documentary screening method have been applied. From this point of view, contemporary curatorial thought is discussed and the controversial role and visibility of the curators in the network of multiple relationships are explored. As a result of all these determinations, it will be concluded that curatorial praxis transforms curators into culture producers and that curators are the integral part of the contemporary art world.

Keywords

exhibition, artist, biennial, museum, curator, exhibition, artist, biennial, museum

Küratörün Söylemi̇ / Çağdaş Sanat Sergi̇leri̇nde Bi̇r Praksi̇s Analizi

Abstract

Sanat dünyası 60’lı yıllarla birlikte, sadece çalıştıkları kurumun genel kabullerinin sınırları dahilinde kalmayan bağımsız küratörlük anlayışına ve bu küratörlerin gerçekleştirdiği alternatif sergilere tanıklık etmiştir. Özellikle 1990’larla hız kazanan bienaller, küratörün sanatçı, izleyici, ulusal, uluslararası, yerel ve evrensel bağlamda yeni bir arayüz geliştirmesine neden olmuş, bu da ‘yaratıcı küratör’ olgusunu ortaya atan, küratörlüğün pozisyonunu yeniden değerlendiren ve iş tanımını değiştiren bir deneyim alanı sunmuştur. Her küratörün sergiyi ele alış biçimi benzersizdir. Bu yöntemin olgunlaşmasındaki en önemli etkenlerden biri küratörün kültürel keşif yolculuklarıdır. Küratör, sergilerin organizasyonu sırasında kaynak desteği eksikliği ve kurumsal kısıtlamalar gibi bazı zorluklarla karşılaşabilmektedir. Ancak bu zorlukların aşılmasında risk yönetimi ve etkin karar verme gibi yönetsel beceriler son derece önemlidir. Bu araştırmada, küratörün dönüşümünün ardından günümüze kadar taşınan global sanat ağı içerisinde gelişen çağdaş küratöryal söylem ve söz konusu merkezi söylemin yapı taşlarını oluşturan ana unsurlar olan küratörün geldiği nokta, bağımsız küratör olarak amacı, müze gibi kurumlar dahilindeki çalışma sistemleri, mega sergiler kapsamındaki deneyim alanları ve mesleğin sınırlarına ilişkin ortaya atılan argümanlar gibi kimi sorular açıklanmaya çalışılmıştır. Ayrıca, küratörün söylemini daha anlaşılır hale getiren, küratöryal, postküratöryal, paraküratöryal ve flâneur olarak küratör gibi kavramlar ele alınarak, çağdaş küratörün sergiyi ele alış şekli ve metodolojisi bu çalışma kapsamında ele alınmıştır. Bu makalede, gözlem ve belgesel tarama yönteminin genel tarama türü uygulanmıştır. Buradan yola çıkarak, çağdaş küratöryal düşünce bağlamında küratörün çoklu ilişkiler ağı içerisindeki tartışmalı rolü ve görünürlüğü irdelenmiştir. Tüm bu saptamalar sonucunda, küratöryal praksisin, küratörü bir kültür üreticisine dönüştürdüğü ve küratörün çağdaş sanat dünyasının ayrılmaz bir parçası olduğu sonucuna varılacaktır.

Keywords

küratör, sergi, sanatçı, bienal, müze, küratör, sergi, sanatçı, bienal, müze

References

• Altshuler, B. (1998). The avant-garde in exhibition: New art in the 20th century. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
• Baudelaire, C. (2003). Modern Hayatın Ressamı. İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları.
• Bauman, Z. (1998). On art death and postmodernity-And what they do to each other. M. Hannula (Ed.), Stopping the process?: Contemporary views on art and exhibitions. Helsinki: NIFCA.
• Bismarck, V. B. (2011, Eylül). Curatorial criticality-On the role of freelance curators in the field of contemporary art. Sayı:3. https://www.on-curating.org/files/oc/dateiverwaltung/old%20Issues/ONCURATING_Issue9.pdf [Erişim: Mart 2020]
• Ferguson, B. (1992). Curatorial Methodology/Curatorial Conversations: Museum Speech Acts. G. Karamustafa & D. Şengel (Ed.), Bilgi olarak sanat olgu olarak sanatçı. İstanbul: Plastik Sanatlar Derneği.
• Fowle, K. (2007). Who cares? Understanding the role of the curator today. S. Rand & H. Kouris (Ed.), Cautionary tales: Critical curating. Apexart. [Kindle versiyonu] http://www.amazon.com
• Groys, B. (2007). The Curator as Iconoclast. S. Rand & H. Kouris (Ed.), Cautionary tales: Critical curating. Apexart. [Kindle versiyonu] http://www.amazon.com
• Heinich N.; Pollak, M. (2001). Müze küratöründen sergi auteur’üne özgün bir konum icat etmek. Sanat Dünyamız. Sayı:81. İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayıncılık.
• Hoffmann, J. (2005). The Next Documenta Should Be Curated by an Artist. New York: e-flux.
• Hopkins. D. (2000). After modern art 1945-2000. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Lee, C.Y. (2007). Curating in a global age. S. Rand & H. Kouris (Ed.), Cautionary tales: Critical curating. Apexart. [Kindle versiyonu] http://www.amazon.com
• Lind, M. (2011, Aralık- 2012, Ocak). To show or not to show. (J. Hoffmann, ropörtaj). Sayı: 31. http://moussemagazine.it/jens-hoffmann-maria-lind-2011/ [Erişim: Haziran 2019]
• Niemojewski, R. (2016). The aspirational narrative of the new curator. The new curator. London: Laurence King.
• Marincola, P. (2011). Introduction: Practice Makes Perfect. What makes a great exhibition (4. Baskı). Philadelphia: Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative.
• Martinon, J-P. & Rogoff, I. (2013). Preface. (5-8). J-P. Martinon (Ed.), The curatorial- A philosophy of curating. London: Bloomsbury
• Museum Curator. https://www.louvre.fr/en/museum-curator [Erişim: Mart 2020].
• Poshyananda, A. (2001). The acrobat, the chef, the go-between, and the dreamer. (C. Kuoni, Ed.). Words of wisdom: A corator’s vade mecum on contemporary art. New York: ICI.
• Obrist, H.U. (2006). Everyhing You Always Wanted to Know About Curating. New York&Berlin: Sternberg Press.
• O’Neill, P. (2007). The curatorial turn: From practice to discourse. J. Rugg & M. Sedgwick (Ed.), Issues in Curating Contemporary Art and Performance. Bristol: Intellect Books
• O’Neill, P. (2012). The Curatorial Constellation and the Paracuratorial Paradox, The Exhibitionist, 6. (55-60). New York: Archive Books
• Richter, D. (2013, Haziran). Artists and Curators as Authors-competitors, collaborators, or team workers, (43-58). M. Birchall (Ed.), On artistic and curatorial authorship. Sayı 19. https://www.oncurating.org/files/oc/dateiverwaltung/issue19/Print_to_download/ONCURATING_Issue19_A4.pdf. [Erişim: Nisan 2020]
• Rugoff, R. (2011). You talking to me? On curating group shows that give you a chance to join the group. (P.Marincola, ed.). What makes a great exhibition? (4. Baskı). Philadelphia: Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative.
• Rugoff, R. (2015). Rules of the game. Frieze. https://sherisimons.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/rules-of-the-game-by-ralph-rugoff-on-curatorial-practice/ [Erişim: Ocak 2020]
• Rylands, P. (2009). The story of a museum collection. Peggy Guggenheim Collection. New York: Guggenheim Museum Publication.
• Smith, T. (2012). Thinking contemporary curating. New York: Independed curators international.
• Staruss, D.L. (2007). The bias of the world: Curating after Szeemann & Hopps. S. Rand & H. Kouris (Ed.), Cautionary tales: Critical curating. Apexart. [Kindle versiyonu] http://www.amazon.com.
• Stedelijk Museum. (Haziran, 08, 2020). Stedelijk museum proudly announces. https://www.stedelijk.nl/en/news/stedelijk-museum-amsterdam-proudly-announces-appointment-yvette-mutumba-and-adam-szymczyk-curators-large [Erişim Haziran 2020]
• Storr, R. (2011). Show and tell. (P.Marincola, ed.). What makes a great exhibition? (4. Baskı). Philadelphia: Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative.
• Storr, R. (2005, 13 Eylül). Reading Circle. (93). Frieze. https://www.frieze.com/article/reading-circle [Erişim: Ekim 2019]