Natasha Hoare

Rafal Niemojewski

Ben Borthwick

Jonathan Watkins

Coline Milliard

This book presents a snapshot of the most interesting curatorial practices in the art world today. There is an emphasis on the "now": the introduction sketches in the development of curatorial practices since the 1980s but the shows under scrutiny in the following 25 case studies have all taken place in the last few years. The selected exhibitions – chosen by an expert panel of curators – run the global gamut, from Europe and the US through Africa and the Middle East to China, and illustrate the particular challenges for curators working in both the commercial and public sectors. Large-scale shows and pop-up exhibits, permanent-collection rehangs and art fairs all have a place here. Each highly illustrated case study is structured around an interview with the curator responsible for the show. The text both tells the story of the show's making and fills in background information about the curator's work, resulting in an accessible guide to contemporary curating.

The New Curator

Biennials: The Exhibitions we Love to Hate examines one of the most significant recent transitions in the contemporary art world: the proliferation of large-scale international recurrent survey shows of contemporary art, commonly referred to as contemporary biennials. Since the mid-1980s biennials have been instrumental in shaping curating as an autonomous practice. These exhibitions are also said to have provided increased visibility for certain types of new art practices, notably those that are socially and politically committed, research-based and site-specific, and to have undermined0some of the more traditional art media, such as painting, drawing or sculpture. They have been responsible for substantially reshaping the contemporary art world and disrupting the existing value chain of the art market, which now relies on biennials as much as it does on major museums' acquisitions and exhibitions.00Rafal Niemojewski, Director of the Biennial Foundation, deftly unpicks the critical discussion and controversy surrounding contemporary biennials. Branded by some critics as showcases of neo-liberalism run amok, in which culture has become synonymous with the dollar-generating leisure industry, biennials have also been associated with the production of monumental artworks which are both highly consumable and photogenic (Instagrammable). The exhibitions we love to hate? This engaging publication makes an essential contribution to a fascinating cultural debate.

Rafal Niemojewski

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