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ICI

Perspectives

in Curating

Kate Fowle

The starting point for Thinking Contemporary Curating occurred on March 11, 2011—day one of The Now Museum conference that Independent Curators International (ICI) produced in collaboration with The Graduate Center, CUNY and the New Museum in New York. Involving artists, art historians, curators, and museum directors in a series of panel discussions and conversations, the three-day event looked at the diversification of the notion of the “museum of contemporary art,” providing intergenerational perspectives on recent developments across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

While topics in the spotlight included the reconsideration of historical narratives (or their abandonment), recent alternative models to traditional museum infrastructures, and burgeoning international collaborations, the subtext to the whole event was a revelation of the various positions the speakers held in relation to the contemporary museum as a place and/or concept. What became evident was a slightly uneasy breakdown in communication among speakers (and at times audience members)—in particular between curators and art historians—who, even when talking about the same thing, frequently could not tell that this was the case, causing a slippage in establishing what was at stake, let alone any cooperative game plan in moving ideas forward.

The breakdown became palpable on the afternoon of the first day, during the discussion “Contemporanizing History/Historicizing the Contemporary,” led by Claire Bishop (Associate Professor, PhD Program in Art History, The Graduate Center, CUNY) with panelists Okwui Enwezor (Director, Haus der Kunst), Annie Fletcher (Curator, Van Abbemuseum), Massimiliano Gioni (Associate Director and Director of Exhibitions, New Museum), and Terry Smith. It continued as a fascinating glitch in the proceedings of the many sessions that followed.

A month or so later, over dinner, I brought up this slippage to Terry Smith, asking him what he thought lay at the root of it. I suggested perhaps it was a difference in style and use of language. Art historians are trained (and expected) to propose a unique observation (no matter how minutely different) on any given topic, outline the facts and problems that pertain to its specificities, and present their solutions before providing a conclusion that proves they are right. Curators, on the other hand, take a far more speculative (and often meandering) approach, outlining the issues at stake from personal experience, describing a project and various artists’ practices that test ways to understand key points, then making an open-ended proposition for consideration with the conclusion that research is ongoing.

Smith did not totally agree with my reasoning, but concurred that there was something in the “glitch,” particularly as a result of the increasingly multifarious production modes of curators. While it is widely accepted that the role has been professionalized and given independence from bureaucratic mandates, with a “coming of age” occurring in the 1990s, we are still fumbling to pinpoint what really constitutes contemporary curating. If the curatorial position remained fixed, as it was historically—behind the scenes, pragmatic, and ostensibly service oriented—this belaboring of specifics and terminologies would be unnecessary, but as the curatorial imperative gains momentum around the world, its form is mutating and becoming untethered from its modern precedent. Furthermore, the notion of a language around curating is still nascent, or at best tentative, as evidenced by the anecdotal fallback position so often used by practitioners. After much back and forth and a few glitches in our own conversation, by the end of the night we were left with yet another question, though one that was pertinent to getting to the bottom of the first: What is distinctive about contemporary curatorial thought?

And so Thinking Contemporary Curating became the first book-length text to lay the groundwork for articulating specificities in this still-forming field. As described in his acknowledgments, Smith has actively (and I would add generously and thoroughly) engaged with numerous exhibitions, conversations, and projects around the world—often as they are occurring—and gained an overview of both emerging and established curator’s ideas, practices, and outcomes, with one pivotal closed-door group discussion between professionals triggering the form of the text in front of us now. Divided into five chapters that loosely define five facets or operatives, Smith considers what contemporaneity means for curating, and examines the curator’s position in relation to the artist, the public, the exhibition, the institution, and the expanded infrastructure that constitutes the art world within global social, political, and cultural frameworks. Recognizing the drive for contemporary curatorial practices to destabilize common assumptions or positions, as well as rethink geographic and political representations, Smith also weaves case studies of key exhibitions, debates, and propositions in recent history that have set precedents from which we can build.

This is the first book in a series entitled Perspectives in Curating that will be published by Independent Curators International (ICI) to provide sustained analysis on topics that are pressing for curators now. This initiative follows a number of others that ICI has established since 2010 to support curatorial research and development in various forms: The Curator’s Perspective—a talks series in New York that periodically travels across the U.S.—provides a platform for curators from around the world to present their observations on social and political situations that are impacting their practice, the projects they understand to be important to curatorial developments, and the artists who are making them think; DISPATCH—a quarterly online journal with each issue guest-produced by a different curator around a topic of their choice that relates to where they live and work—provides a flexible format for sharing information and ideas-in-progress; and The Curatorial Intensive—a short-term program for working professionals from around the world held twice annually in New York and in collaboration with institutional partners internationally—enables the exchange of knowledge and expertise while developing a new project with all-too-rare peer feedback. While each of these programs, together with conference and fellowship initiatives, offers curators the opportunity to test ideas, think out loud, and develop an international network, the imperative for the book series is to take research to a deeper level. By dedicating resources and attention to a single topic in each volume and building the issues explored over time, Perspectives in Curating is intended to be responsive to the rapid developments in the field while recognizing the need to slow down in understanding what is at stake in the questions we ask of the practice.

Although a new initiative, the precedent for Thinking Contemporary Curating was established in 2001, when ICI published its first book on curatorial practice, Words of Wisdom: A Curator’s Vade Mecum on Contemporary Art. Markedly different in its approach, the book included short texts offering advice to a new generation of curators from sixty professionals who were playing a crucial role in shaping the field. (These included Lynne Cook, Bice Curiger, Thelma Golden, Hou Hanru, Vasif Kortun, Lucy R. Lippard, Maria Lind, Jean-Hubert Martin, Gerardo Mosquera, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Seth Siegelaub, and Harald Szeemann.) It’s hard to imagine today, but just over ten years ago there was only one Curatorial Studies Masters program in the United States (five worldwide), and barely six publications available on the subject. Now the need is not an increased quantity of material but the publishing of more internationally widespread and comprehensive research that enables the field to gain a shared history and language from which to grow. Terry Smith’s incredible work in Thinking Contemporary Curating ensures its place as the first of such titles and a key reference for years to come.

This book would not have been possible without the help and support of a number of people and organizations: Chelsea Haines, ICI’s Public Programs Manager, has steered the project from start to finish with great dedication and style as always; editor extraordinaire Audrey Walen and ICI’s ever-creative designer Scott Ponik have made production a pleasure; and Jessica Gogan has been the quiet force behind ensuring images and facts are all there.

Thanks go to Claire Bishop and Eungie Joo, my partners in crime in conceiving of and programming The Now Museum conference, and Okwui Enwezor, Annie Fletcher, and Massimiliano Gioni, Terry Smith’s fellow panelists in the discussion that caused this book. To reiterate Smith’s acknowledgment, special thanks also go to the participants of the “Contemporary Art: World Currents” curatorial roundtable at ICI on October 20, 2011, for their perspectives and insight that gave the book its form.

Perpetual thanks go to ICI’s staff, especially Renaud Proch, Deputy Director, who gives ICI its wings, Fran Wu Giarratano, Exhibitions Manager, who guided this project, and Mandy Sa, Communications Manager, who always ensures our books get out there.

Crucial to the development of Thinking Contemporary Curating was the confidence in ICI from Ray Graham III, and the very generous funding from the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation for the production of our new publications. Important support has also come from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, especially Margaret Ayers and Roslyn Black, whose deep commitment to international exchange enables ICI to develop meaningful programming and research around the world. For the first time, ICI has also had the benefit of the new International Forum, whose members are pioneers in recognizing the importance of ICI’s global networks. As ever, I extend my warmest appreciation to the ICI Board of Trustees for their ongoing support and enthusiasm.

Finally, my deepest gratitude goes to Terry Smith, who has been inspiring to work with and learn from. I hope this is just the beginning of our research. This book is an amazing gift. Thank you.