During the panel discussion this week, I first realized the centrality of Format in exhibition planning. At first, Format seemed like a vague and abstract existence to me, confusing, and I did not know where to start. But under the guidance of the Tutor, I gradually understood that Format is not only a structure for organizing exhibitions, but also a critical choice that determines how the exhibition tells stories and how it dialogues with the audience.
Focusing on the theme of my exhibition – invisible labor of women in the family, I tend to adopt the Format of group exhibitions, inviting female artists of different ages to participate and create a cross-generational dialogue field. This cross-generational curatorial method is intended to break the linear narrative and present the flow and changes of women’s labor experience in time.
I also consciously chose to form an exhibition lineup composed entirely of female artists. This decision is both a response to the theme and a criticism and challenge to the gender structure of the art world. The marginal position of women in art history echoes the invisible state of domestic labor in the social system. Therefore, I hope to make the exhibition a space centered on female subjectivity and questioning the existing power discourse through the design of Format.
My initial thoughts on Format made me realize that Format itself is a kind of curatorial language. It not only organizes content, but also expresses positions and builds the possibility of resistance and re-imagination.
