Curating Audiences - Essay Example

Curating Audiences CURATING AUDIENCES Introduction Art museums have been moving towards being more inclusive since the 60s, which begun with inclusion into art of those initially excluded, such as craftspeople and women (Deeth 2006, p. 1). Simultaneous attention has also been afforded to the viewer, who is viewed as the maker of meaning on one side and a physical space visitor on the other with more options between the two positions. Within the context of museums, the mechanisms of exclusion and inclusion range from recognition of educational, psychological, and ideological factors significance to meeting physical needs. Creating an inclusive museum involves making its physical experience less intimidating for the elderly and the young. In addition, museums have become more colourful and comfortable, which is meant to encourage those unaccustomed to the ethos and physicality of traditional museum spaces to visit them. In addition, the relevance of exhibits to visitors, as well as their appreciation of what is presented has also come more into focus. It has now become the role of the museum’s marketing department to recommend changes after understanding visitors so as to improve their experience (Deeth 2006, p. 9). Currently, there is increased pluralism and inclusive interpretation and character with contemporary culture. However, little attention is paid to the realities, discourses, and actual practices that exist in the world of art (Sifakakis 2007, p. 205). In addition, the attention paid to interest groups in art and art institutions is still wanting. It is, therefore, possible to argue that, a distinction between uninformed and informed audiences that is associated with two fundamental forms of recognizing art exists. These are public recognition and specialist accreditation. Specialist accreditation is the dominant factor has for a long time been presented as the deciding factor in the socio-cultural legitimization of art. It is also visible through the limited range and content of audiences in their insider discourse (Sifakakis 2007, p. 213). This paper is a discussion between Stringer, who is an outsider-insider, and Chang, who is an insider-insider, regarding curating audiences. Discussion Stringer: During the last discussion we had, you claimed that the issue surrounding the role of a curator is not an issue about curating at all. Chang: Sometimes, it is not necessary for a person to append their name on art making and exhibitions. It seems that curators want to be artists themselves, which has taken them towards the role of creator alongside the artist (Sifakakis 2007, p. 207). Now, exhibitions have become the artwork of the curator. On the other hand, various artists have made their art in a manner that seeks to make it more palatable for their audiences. This means that artists are doing what the curators are meant to be doing. Stringer: Moreover, I do not suppose that the curator’s primary role is to meet the audience halfway, whatever their primary characteristics should be. It is true that curators come up against critiques and obstacles in their aim to develop a dream exhibition, which has made them almost identical to the artist they feature in their exhibitions (Lukes 1991, p. 69). Do you, therefore, think that we should do away with the curator? Chang: The curator, in my opinion, gathers art like there is nothing happening and rests in connecting the exhibitions to the artists (Sifakakis 2007, p. 207). Stringer: So, curators are involved in the opening of exhibition halls and gathering art to allow everything to merge. They play the role of organizer and host, while directing the exhibition (Lukes 1991, p. 69). I have to ask if we need exhibitions and, as curators, should we not simply open the exhibition’s doors and let the artist plot the destiny of their art? Chang: Exhibitions are a bridge that seeks to form a connection between audiences and artists (Sifakakis 2007, p. 209). From my viewpoint, the primary role that a curator should play is to come up with a context that covers the viewing and interpretation of the various artists’ artwork. Curation must not simply be about hosting an exhibition, but also about initiating discourse between the audience and the artists (Deeth 2006, p. 4). Stringer: Looking at the contemporary world of art today, the curator comes close to being a creator (Lukes 1991, p. 71), rather than an organizer. In addition, they have had to become more open because they are dealing with diverse types of artists who are contemporary thinkers emerging from various disciplines, as well as non-artists who work alongside the artists. This latter group does not make any art but are involved with the artwork and the artists in permanent forums, as well as in real time thinking as artists make their art. What I am saying is that the world of contemporary art forms an intellectual forum, which allows for the convergence of artists and non-artists. Therefore, the curator has to come up with new ways for the creation of dialogue through the people that they choose, as well as how they frame their exhibition’s ethos. Chang: I would like to add, in concurrence with your observation, that curators are bi-functional; continuously re-figuring and re-presenting the artwork in the exhibition. Their major task is acting as a participant observer (Sifakakis 2007, p. 210), acting first as a reporter. His/her presentation of what he/she reports may interfere with the system of art and change what the artist really meant. The curator will have to observe the life-world of the artists, after which the artist and their life-world will be used to enhance the effectiveness of the exhibition. Stringer: Artists are like producers and their artwork serves as their product (Lukes 1991, p. 72). In addition, exhibitions act as areas that people make transactions, such as in a shopping centre or supermarket. However, the curator acts as the invisible broker who controls the efficiency of the transaction between the audience (consumer) and the artist (producer), as well as in controlling the trend along which the audience and artists are connected through the exhibitions. Chang: Exactly; curators like Libra, during their exhibitions, seek to balance relationships that exist between audiences and artists (Jacob 2013, p. 56). In the contemporary art context, artists will mainly focus on self-expressive feelings with their approach being more metaphorical in nature. Meanwhile, the audience is also imbued with a natural sense of curiosity (Deeth 2006, p. 5). If exhibition was Tai Chi, artist and audiences would be more like the Yin and Yang. The two belong to one another and seek satisfaction from one another. They both come together because of exhibitions (Sifakakis 2007, p. 212) and, therefore, when curators are able to balance the relationship that exists between artists and the audience; their exhibitions have every chance of success. Stringer: Indeed; and this is why it is so difficult for artists to play the role of a curator. An artist-curator who mostly holds an exhibition for their artwork may be seen as a show off. This happens in solo exhibitions, although it also happens in group exhibitions with major hurdles for the artist-curator to negotiate. This is because of they could fall into the trap of self-promotion, such as in how they find a location and space for each artist in the exhibition. Because an artist wants break boundaries and lead audiences towards their own path of freedom and diversity in interpreting the exhibition (Lukes 1991, p. 74), it is difficult for an artist to also be a curator. Since a group exhibition requires a common thread to run throughout the entire show, the differences between artists and curators becomes more visible in the diversity of their ideas. Chang: As an artist-curator, I have to disagree because I understand what artists want to convey to their audience, as well as how they want to convey it. As a curator, I now have the ability to merge various aspects necessary in a curator with those required as an artist. A curator of ideal status needs to realize that it is important to balance between the needs of the audience and the vision of the artist (Deeth 2006, p. 7). Curator Alma Ruiz at MOCA, for example, holds her exhibitions in a way that places her and the audience closer to the three featured artists during the course of her exhibition (Jacob 2013, p. 57). She knows exactly what the artists she features in her exhibition want to express because she understands their perspective. By getting close to what the artist intended the audience to see, she manages to get halfway to helping the audience interpret the artists’ work without even focusing on the audience. Stringer: Exactly, I agree with you on that point. Labyrinth for a public place by the curator Cruz Diaz was especially simple to walk in and immediately figure out with the space and its three main colours. This would have been impossible to attain when the audience was outside the space that the curator had created. It also looked like viewing the three rooms from various perspectives may have been an intentional ploy. For example, lay out for the exhibition was laid out in a way that audiences first visited the neon piece followed by a visit to the mirrored room piece, after which they exited into a room with three coloured windows and a white wall. For audiences viewing the exhibition as first-timers, it came across as a unique and different experience (Manacorda 2011, p. 42), particularly with regards to sensory and physical experience compared to their experience when they move across the front part into the inside of the piece. The experience that is characterized by shifting looked to be a part of the entire ethos of space movement and light, coming across as an intentional ploy by the curator. I have to say it worked perfectly. Chang: Well, she did understand what the artist sought to portray to their audience. However, I think the artists in this case wanted their audience to figure out the work by themselves. Stringer: Come on, curators need to be in charge of directing their own exhibitions, as well as guiding their audience and directing artists as to what the audiences want and what will fit within the exhibition’s theme. Of course, I agree that the curator need not tell the audience about colours that are at the hidden away from them. However, it is the work of the curator to do something that seeks to make this more obvious, (Manacorda 2011, p. 43) rather than simply hiding it behind columns in the building. Chang: Yes, so the curator could have shrunk the exhibition room a little, maybe setting it to the centre of the two sides. I concur that he is a good curator, especially because of the respect that he shows to the individual artists that he uses in his exhibition (Jacob 2013, p. 57), as well as his intentional ploy to surprise his audiences genuinely. However, sometimes, a curator is bound by the limited utility that the exhibition is held in. For example, in this case, although the exhibition space was big and expansive, the columns in the room were unavoidable for him. Stringer: I totally understood Alma Ruiz with the exhibition that she was curating just to digress a little, particularly because she seems to understand the artworks from her heart (Jacob 2013, p. 58). She has been a breath of fresh air with so many curators attempting to utilize the exhibition’s thesis as a way to express what they think. I believe what has been happening is that they are making their exhibitions and the artwork more like their own (Manacorda 2011, p. 45), which has seen them attempting to become artists. The question then arises; how does a curator strike a balance between the theme presented by the artist and the exhibition’s thesis? Chang: Working and engaging in every modality enhances the ideas of the curator about what can be accomplished (Rugg & Sedgwick 2013, p. 88), ultimately improving the work of the curator within the perspectives of the artist. It is actually easier sometimes when a curator thinks the same as the artist. When they want to accomplish a similar reflection from the audience, they can be said to be acting as one person, which improves the audience’s experience at the exhibition. Stringer: I agree with your point that when an artist-curator takes charge of exhibitions, the work is presented as an idea by the artist, which becomes the exhibition’s soul. The artist then becomes a curator to plan the exhibition in a way that best presents their ideas. This provides the best experience for the audience. References Deeth, J 2006, Connecting the Community to the Art Museum. Museums Australia National Conference (pp. 1-11). Brisbane: Museums Australia. Jacob, MJ 2013, Conversations at the Castle: changing audiences and contemporary art. Cambridge, Mass. u.a, MIT Press Lukes, TJ 1991, Prepositional Phases: The Political Effects of Art on Audience. International Political Science Review , 12 (1), 67-86. Manacorda, F 2011, Whos Afraid of the Ideal Public. In K. Scott, Raising Frankenstein : curatorial education and its discontents (pp. 38-47). London: Koenig Books. Rugg, J. & Sedgwick, M 2013, Issues in curating contemporary art and performance. Bristol, UK, Intellect. Sifakakis, S 2007, Contemporary Arts Audiences: Specialist Accreditation and the Myth. European Journal of Cultural Studies , 10 (2), 203-223. Read More