Week 3 marked a critical point in the development of my curatorial thinking, as it required moving beyond descriptive reflection towards a more research-led and analytical engagement with both collective work and my emerging individual project. In response to feedback on earlier blog posts, this entry focuses on situating my ideas within curatorial discourse, supported by scholarly sources and practice-based examples.

Building on course discussions around decentralised and socially engaged curating, I have become increasingly interested in how education and accessibility can be embedded within curatorial formats themselves, rather than positioned as supplementary public programmes. Terry Smith’s concept of the “exhibitionary complex” highlights how exhibitions operate as structures of knowledge production rather than neutral display spaces (Smith, 2017). This framework has prompted me to reflect on how curatorial formats shape who is addressed, who is excluded, and how meaning is produced.

These questions resonate strongly with our collective discussions in Week 3, particularly around shared authorship and non-hierarchical modes of working. Rather than viewing the collective simply as a logistical support system, I am beginning to understand it as a methodological model that challenges singular curatorial authority. This shift echoes the practices of artist-led and collective initiatives such as Array Collective, whose Turner Prize-winning project foregrounded collaboration, social context, and collective voice as core curatorial strategies rather than outcomes.

In relation to my individual curatorial project, these discussions have encouraged me to move away from a conventional exhibition-led model towards more process-oriented and educational formats. Lucy Lippard’s writing on the dematerialisation of the art object emphasises how meaning can reside in ideas, instructions, and participation rather than fixed objects (Lippard, 1997). This perspective supports my growing interest in curatorial approaches that prioritise access, dialogue, and learning as integral components of the project.

Overall, Week 3 has been less about finalising decisions and more about consolidating a critical framework through which my project can develop. By grounding my reflections in curatorial theory and practice-based examples, I am beginning to articulate a clearer individual curatorial position that is informed by, but not subsumed within, the collective.

References
Lippard, L. (1997) Six Years: The Dematerialization of the Art Object.
Smith, T. (2017) Visual Arts and the Exhibitionary Complex.

WEEK 3 / Yuwei Ruan / Curating (2025-2026)[SEM2] by is licensed under a