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  • Curating beyond representation: the paradox of curating as a site of dialogics

Kwon, Hyukgue, 2017, Thesis, Curating beyond representation: the paradox of curating as a site of dialogics PhD thesis, Royal College of Art.

Abstract or Description:

Dynamic patterns of cultural exchanges and transformations in the era of globalisation have been disputed subjects in contemporary curating. This has fundamentally transformed the conception of art exhibitions. Today, with numerous biennials and international exhibitions in different cities, curating has become an international arena where the dynamics and complexities of the world intersect. However, contemporary curating, instead of presenting diverse narratives and subject matter, often presents an internationalised or institutionalised consensus of a global art community, based on the hegemony of the dominant culture.

Following this argument, this dissertation examines the practice of contemporary curating, questioning whether its framework fixates on limited frames of representation. And it asks the following questions through my own curatorial practices: firstly, what curatorial strategy can be employed for illustrating the complex narratives of contemporary art? Secondly, to what extent can this practice challenge situated knowledge and given frame of contemporary art and curating? And thirdly, how should the practice be evaluated in terms of enriching the narratives of contemporary art exhibitions?

These questions should not be discussed and answered within a single and dominant framework, since the term globalisation itself is illusionary and even vaster than any definitions. Therefore, in order to keep this argument specific and reliable, the research will focus on a few related discourses and specific case studies of contemporary art. This includes close reflection on my own curatorial practices with contemporary Korean artists, which aim to depoliticise a uniform representation of Korean art. It will also involve in depth research on the different artistic subjectivities of the artists, and some historical and critical studies on Korean art and a few related exhibitions.

Based on these studies and reflections, I will attempt to articulate my curatorial practices and conceptions in order to suggest some possible modes for curating complex narratives of art, with less erasing and effacing of realities, but with more visualisation of the overlap of diverse narratives. As mentioned, the discussion will be developed within specific contexts, narratives and practices of contemporary art. With the specific case studies, this practice-led research will develop a particular argument on curating beyond representation, moving across the complexly illustrated contours of contemporary curating and globalisation.

Qualification Name: PhD
Subjects: Other > RCA Additional Subjects > Curating
School or Centre: School of Arts & Humanities
Date Deposited: 02 Mar 2017 14:45
Last Modified: 05 May 2020 10:23
URI: https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/id/eprint/2722
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