| Miroslav Karic, Remont - Independent Artists Association |
|
Miroslav Karić, Remont – Independent Artists Association • The curator’s role today could perhaps best be described by the term general practitioner. Today all of the above-mentioned curatorial roles are taken for granted, but experiences and skills that they demand are necessary if one wishes to participate actively in the realization of projects/exhibitions that concern current artistic production. The curator must bear in mind that his practice is essentially a social practice and that the ultimate space for his operations is the public sphere; he should respond to the challenges of the contemporary moment, to deal through his engagement both with subjects significant for art, and with questions relevant to the society itself. • All the projects that I worked on in all the segments of realization actively included conversation, deliberations and agreements with the artists. The artist’s opinion is important to me and I am open to suggestions when it comes to the concept of an exhibition/project. I was fortunate to work with artists that were also highly ready for cooperation and had understanding for every suggestion when it came to their work. Audience, of course, is an important factor, and until now, I was engaged only in one project (Mobile Studios) where in the very conception of the artistic content it was very important to us in which way to approach the audience and include into the realization of an art event. I tried, with all the exhibitions that I worked on, through PR activities, to draw as close as I can to the audience and get them interested for the theme/problematic that I treated. Frankly, the exhibitions that I worked on did not include educational programs in the sense of workshops and more intensive work with the audience, but have touched on that moment as well due to professional management. I feel that the educational programs are an absolute must for institutions, i.e. for large exhibitions and projects being realized in their frameworks, but are also something that must be integrated into the educational system itself. The lessons in visual arts should not only consist of “shading the drapery and drawing the bored desk buddy” and learning by heart when something was painted and built, but should include a more direct introduction both to cultural heritage and current artistic production, which can only be accomplished through regular visits to museums, galleries, conversations with artists etc. • I think that, above all, we are talking about non-conditions, and there is no need to describe them specially. I presume that I will answer the second question similarly like the others surveyed: yes, of course it its necessary to change the conditions in which we work, but I am not sure to what extent this is possible, i.e. how possible are some more significant changes, but it is important that there should be attempts. I try, as the majority of my colleagues, through curatorial engagement, everyday work and communication with artists, active keeping track with the domestic art scene and reflexion on it, to ask some questions, point out to current themes and problems, and I hope that in a modest way I contribute to the creation of relatively normal conditions for the affirmation of real cultural and social values. Educational programs for curators have certainly brought the curatorial practice to professionalization and contributed to the strengthening of the curator’s position, in fact resulted in his more noticeable and significant role in contemporary culture. Disregarding the fact that lately negative comments can be heard at the expense of the rising number of educational programs for curators, which, according to the worried ones, produce an army of people that are given the resources to compete and win in the “professionalized art economy”, I believe that such programs are necessary and I would like to see them come to life in our environment. Such a program should first of all be conceived as a possibility for young curators to obtain a more comprehensive insight into experiences and skills they can use in their subsequent professional careers, but on the other hand, these studies should also cultivate a critical view in their students and their constant engagement in a broader social field.
Powered by JoomlaCommentCopyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.Homepage: http://cavo.co.nr/ |
|||||
