This week, we held two group discussions. In the first, we planned how to use teamwork to give each other curatorial advice and thus promote the development of the group members‘ projects. This included the perspective from which we should work; for example, most of the students’ topics are not very relevant, so how to give constructive advice is also something to consider. After the discussion, we focused on the feasibility of the plan. This feasibility is reflected in the venue, budget, artists, etc.

The second group discussion was held in the summer hall. We exchanged our curatorial projects, and each person talked about the problems they encountered in curating. We discussed how to solve these problems and recorded them on Miro. For example, three group members mentioned that their curation had many problems with the connection between the theme and the works. For example, Zhao Ziyi’s curation theme is similar to mine; both are feminist, and she wants to focus on women’s identity and self-expression. But the theme itself is a bit broad. Is it language, appearance, or some behaviour or event that expresses identity? How does this behaviour reflect this identity? Similarly, when thinking about my classmates’ views on their curatorial projects, I also considered whether I had the same problems in my own curation. For example, the work of an artist invited by another student was too expensive, so I was also wondering whether the artist I had invited was feasible. This made me rethink and select some works.

In addition, because we borrowed a small exhibition hall in the summer hall, it was very suitable for us to practise curating an exhibition, to see how to screen film art, and how to plan the space. For example, one of the artworks I chose before was very large, which was not feasible in this space. However, a larger venue would require consideration of venue costs, including management, etc. So, we roughly simulated it according to the venue and found that it would be more appropriate to choose five or six artworks.

So through this group discussion, I can be aware of some problems that I may not have noticed before, or get some suggestions to solve the problems that bother me. I can also know the curatorial progress of my classmates, as well as various curatorial ideas and different opinions on the same issue. I think it was a good brainstorming session. Apart from experiencing teamwork, I have also learned a lot from my peers.

week –8 Summer Hall Group Collective / Yilin Cong / Curating (2024-2025)[SEM2] by is licensed under a