In my exploration of curatorial strategies for revisiting history, I have begun to question whether history should only be revisited through archives and objects. The traditional archive—filled with institutional records, catalogues, and official documents—often silences subjective, lived experiences. Oral history, in contrast, emerges as a curatorial tool that challenges written authority, emphasizing memory, storytelling, and collective recollection over rigid documentation.

Unlike museum collections that rely on tangible artifacts, oral histories introduce unwritten knowledge—a process of archival resistance. Artist-curators have increasingly employed this method to restore marginalized voices and disrupt dominant historical narratives. For example, Zarina Bhimji, an artist working with postcolonial memory, records personal testimonies that highlight histories erased by colonial archives, translating them into sound-based installations and films. Her film Yellow Patch (2011) draws upon narratives of migration and colonialism, weaving personal testimonies into its visual and auditory fabric. This approach allows Bhimji to activate personal testimonies as a form of public engagement, demonstrating how oral histories can shape curatorial interventions in social justice issues. Similarly, Lawrence Abu Hamdan‘s forensic audio investigations reconstruct untold histories through sonic evidence and witness testimony, turning memory into curatorial material (Abu Hamdan 2019).

By incorporating oral histories, curatorial practice can shift from passive documentation to active participation, ensuring that overlooked voices are not just preserved but centered in public discourse. Moving beyond institutional archives, oral history-based curating challenges who gets to tell history and how it is remembered.

References

1、Abu Hamdan, Lawrence. 2019. Earwitness Theatre. Chisenhale Gallery, London.

2、Bhimji, Zarina. 2018. Lead White. Tate Britain, London.