China News Service, Beijing, November 25th (Reporter Gao Kai) More and more people are willing to enter museums or art galleries, and in every art exhibition, besides the indispensable artists, there is also an important The role is "curator".
So, what kind of profession is a curator?
The "Curator's Handbook" compiled by senior curator Adrian George was recently published, in which the mystery of the "curator" was revealed.
"Curator's Handbook" is a guidebook for curators, curatorial students and many art lovers. The book shows the curatorial steps in detail, that is, how to implement an exhibition from the initial idea to the final The venue covers what is curation, what is a curator, what are the types of curators, and how to plan an exhibition.
The Curator's Handbook points out that our definition of "curator" is wider today than at any time before.
The concept and meaning of the curator are constantly being constructed and deconstructed, and the content carried by "curation" is constantly being enriched, and the curator is as versatile as a "generalist".
Sometimes, the curator has to be a "writer", providing a clear and powerful written explanation for the history, origin and meaning of the work.
Sometimes to be an editor, a critic, and in fact, from concept to liaison, financing, exhibition catalog, interpretation of media, to exhibition space design, cooperation with artists and creditors, organization of private exhibitions, or even exhibition archiving and evaluation , all need the control of the curator.
These complex and diverse work links are all mentioned in the book.
Not only that, but in such an era of cultural output explosion, curators also need to undertake the work of "filters" or "gatekeepers".
To put it bluntly, a curator must explain what constitutes a "good" artwork.
These have expanded people's understanding of curation, which is an inspiring profession that at the same time requires knowledge, experience and skills.
Therefore, the style and quality of an exhibition and the taste of the curator are very important.
Curators should discuss and comment on the projects suggested by artists during the curating process.
They need to be able to question and challenge, but at the same time make sure they don't take the direction of the artist, always remembering that they are not the artist.
Curators can create dialogues among audiences, artists, and art institutions, connect them together, and create conditions for new sparks to emerge from each other.
To some extent, a curator is like a coach or guide, who can achieve twice the result with half the effort, push artists forward and achieve greater achievements.
The two live in symbiosis, constantly challenging people's concepts, and exploring the direction and appearance of future culture.
According to the "Curator's Handbook", curation is a very professional matter. With the continuous deepening of the process of contemporary art, higher requirements are also put forward for curators.
There are thresholds for professional curation. A good exhibition should not be a "book on the wall" or a series of works that illustrate a certain concept. The connotation of the exhibition is much more than that.
A curator is like a speaker who uses space to tell a story. Compared with words or books, visitors should be given more freedom to edit or guide the viewing experience, and freely choose their own entry and exit points.
A good exhibition is inseparable from the curator's solid artistic knowledge and theoretical foundation and profound cultural accomplishment, as well as the curator's unique vision.
As Nicholas Serota, chief curator of the Tate Gallery in London, said: "There is no orthodox practice in curating, but more of a kind of creation."
Today, the number of artists, curators and students studying curating around the world is changing.
There is great interest and great potential for cultural exchange all over the world.
The role of the curator is and will continue to create challenging, exciting and unexpected encounters, both now and in the future.
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