Curatorial platform
Encyclopedia
A curatorial platform is an organization whose principal activity is focused on the development and presentation of cultural artifacts according to clearly defined and coherent themes or organizational principles. In contrast to a gallery
, whose focus is the exhibition and — in the case of a private gallery — sale of finalized artwork, a curator
ial platform is concerned with the conjunction of artistic practice and curatorial practice.
Following the development of the independent or freelance curator
following 1969’s watershed ‘When Attitudes Become Form: Live in Your Head’ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_4_93/ai_n13629202 and Harald Szeemann
's subsequent defiance of then-established career trajectories, the role of the curator in the development of modern art has become ever more important. This is evidenced by — particularly in the United States
and the United Kingdom
— the growth of curatorial studies and workshops.
The notion of a curatorial platform, extending and reinforcing these studies and attitudes, is relatively new — the group Kuratorisk Aktion http://www.kuratorisk.org/ (Curatorial Action) was established in 2005, and while Rhizome http://rhizome.org was founded in 1996, it does not define itself explicitly as a curatorial platform. Its activity — ‘the creation, presentation, discussion and preservation of contemporary art’ is nonetheless recognizably curatorial.
There is general agreement about the aims of such platforms — in the Peregrine Arts http://www.peregrinearts.org/ manifesto, this organization clearly states that their curatorial platform does not replace ‘traditional ensemble-based or exhibiting institutions, such as orchestras, museums, and theater companies [but] provides a foundation and structure for organizing and amplifying current artistic resources in the pursuit of true innovation and artistic impact.’
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
, whose focus is the exhibition and — in the case of a private gallery — sale of finalized artwork, a curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
ial platform is concerned with the conjunction of artistic practice and curatorial practice.
Following the development of the independent or freelance curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
following 1969’s watershed ‘When Attitudes Become Form: Live in Your Head’ http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_4_93/ai_n13629202 and Harald Szeemann
Harald Szeemann
Harald Szeemann was a Swiss curator and art historian.-Life:Szeemann was born in Bern. He studied art history, archaeology and journalism in Bern and Paris, and in 1956 he began working as an actor, stage designer and painter, as well as doing one-man shows. He started creating exhibitions in 1957...
's subsequent defiance of then-established career trajectories, the role of the curator in the development of modern art has become ever more important. This is evidenced by — particularly in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
— the growth of curatorial studies and workshops.
The notion of a curatorial platform, extending and reinforcing these studies and attitudes, is relatively new — the group Kuratorisk Aktion http://www.kuratorisk.org/ (Curatorial Action) was established in 2005, and while Rhizome http://rhizome.org was founded in 1996, it does not define itself explicitly as a curatorial platform. Its activity — ‘the creation, presentation, discussion and preservation of contemporary art’ is nonetheless recognizably curatorial.
There is general agreement about the aims of such platforms — in the Peregrine Arts http://www.peregrinearts.org/ manifesto, this organization clearly states that their curatorial platform does not replace ‘traditional ensemble-based or exhibiting institutions, such as orchestras, museums, and theater companies [but] provides a foundation and structure for organizing and amplifying current artistic resources in the pursuit of true innovation and artistic impact.’