Peer Review for Han Qiu

Han Qiu’s blog represents a sophisticated evolution from an art history student to a critical curator. Her work is characterized by a rigorous synthesis of sociopolitical theory and digital ethics,  treats the exhibition space as a site for urgent socio-political inquiry.

 

1.Strengths: 

Professional Operationality : The Week 6 Pitch is a standout. Including a detailed budgetand a multi-layered public program (AI Identity workshop, Data Ethics Lab) is a masterstroke. It demonstrates that curating is a production of social relations and financial logistics, not just selecting pretty things.

Narrative Cohesion: The blog transitions naturally from institutional critique to technological critique and finally to accessibility, forming a logically self-consistent research loop.

 

2.Areas for Further Strengthening

Visual Annotation :While the blog images are evocative, they lack visual critical annotations. As a curator, Qiu should mark up these images to show the reader exactly what her curatorial gaze is identifying.

The Sensory Gap: The blog is intellectually dense but could be more grounded in sensory experience. For a physical exhibition at Summer hall, how do we make the Algorithmic Gaze feel visceral? More diagrams on lighting, sound, and audience flow would bridge this gap.

Deeper Cross-disciplinary Dialogue: In the Week 5 dialogue with CAP students, the author could further analyze how artists reciprocally shape the curatorial logic, rather than  recording the conversation process.

Metaphorical Connection: The link between AI surveillance and the Ji Ju collective theme could be tightened. How does an algorithm inhabit or displace a migrant body?

 

Digital vs. Material: Qiu’s digital shell (the algorithm) perfectly complements my focus on physical shell (materiality). It’s a reminder that as sojourners, we inhabit both physical and data-driven structures.

Archive as Care:  Her concept of writing in the margins in week 8  encourages me to embrace fragmentation. Instead of forcing a perfect linear logic, I can allow my blog to be a research site that evolves, much like the Ji ju spirit of movement.

 

4.Academic Recommendations for Han Qiu’s Curatorial Direction

1.Noble, Safiya Umoja. Algorithms of Oppression How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. New York: New York University Press, 2018. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ed/detail.action?docID=4834260.

2.Hui, Yuk. “On the Existence of Digital Objects.” ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2012.

3.Classen, Constance. The Museum of the Senses : Experiencing Art and Collections. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474252454.  

 

Peer Review completed: Saturday, 4th April