B5355 - Contemporary Exhibitions: Global Perspectives in Curatorial Practices (1) (LM)

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

Students acquire knowledge of the history of exhibitions in order to discern and evaluate the different specificities of the artistic and curatorial role, as well as to deepen the lines of research that emerged internationally in recent years. In particular, they acquire the coordinates to analyse, from a historical and artistic point of view, recurring and major museum exhibitions. Furthermore, they learn the methodology to detect, historically locate and critically evaluate the issues related to the organization and curatorship of art exhibitions. This knowledge benefits the students in developing their individual research.

Contenuti

The course investigates contemporary art exhibition practices within the framework of globalization. Contemporary curatorial approaches will be discussed from multiple perspectives, considering context, theories, methodologies, art production and circulation, as well as the art market. Throughout the course, we will explore specific exhibition case studies and the processes that have influenced the curating of contemporary art in a globalized world. The lessons are divided in thematic subjects to facilitate in-depth discussions of specific case studies, aiming for a wide-ranging perspective that includes different regions of the world.

The initial part of the course focuses on understanding the role of exhibitions within the broader context of contemporary art infrastructures. Various approaches will be employed to untangle current configurations, with particular attention given to art large-scale exhibitions such as biennials, which have significantly shaped global curatorial practices.

The second part examines how global narratives are articulated from specific viewpoints, localizing discourses and voices. The aim is to showcase the plurality of approaches, moving from close readings of particular case studies to more critical considerations of representation, ultimately investigating a mobile and fragile mapping of the world.

The final group of lessons expands beyond the epistemology of global contemporary art, moving into a more complex framework that considers notions of being and sharing in the present while encompassing both close and distant contexts. Consequently, this section will address ecological discourses, as well as the politics of the body and the concept of togetherness.

Lessons will address the following topics:

• Exhibitions and the System of Contemporary Art
• Discursivity and Value
• Framing the Global
• Decolonizing Practices and Revisiting Histories
• Chinese Contemporary Art
• Africa and the Diaspora
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• Global South
• The Rise of the Middle East
  
• The Global Art Market
• Biennials and Fairs
• New Ecologies
• Indigenous Voices
• Activism and Social Practices

The final lesson of the course will be structured as a student conference where groups of students present specific case studies. Presentations will contribute to fifty percent of the final grade.

Testi/Bibliografia

The readings will be available for download as teaching materials from the "Virtuale" page. The bibliography includes a selection of texts from the catalogs of the main exhibitions that will be discussed in class, students are invited to read the material before the corresponding lecture. Below is a sample list of the volumes from which the readings are selected:

Abraham, Tanya (ed), “REDEFINE: Curatorial and Artistic Practices in the South East”, ONCurating, Issue 59/February 2025. 

Buchholz Larissa, The Global Rules of Art, Princeton University Press, 2022

Chiu Melissa and Benjamin Genocchio (eds), Contemporary Art in Asia: A Critical Reader, The MIT Press, 2011.

Choy, Bo, Charles Esche, David Morris and Lucy Steeds (eds), Art and its Worlds, Afterall, 2021.

Gardner Anthony and Charles Green, Biennials, Triennials and Documenta, Wiley-Blackwell 2016

Filipovic Elena, Marieke van Hal, Solveig Ovstebo (eds). The Biennial Reader, Hatje Cantz, 2010

Harris, Jonathan (ed), Globalization and Contemporary Art, Wiley-Blackwell 2011

Kolb, Ronald, Shwetal Patel, Dorothee Richter (eds) “Contemporary Art Biennales – Our Hegemonic Machines in Times of Emergency”, ONCurating, Issue 46 /June 2020

Kompatsiaris, Panos, Curation in the Age of Platform Capitalism, Routledge, 2024

Kumar Dhiraj, Political Ecology of Everyday Resistance and State Building, Routledge, 2025

O’Neill, Paul, Simon Sheikh, Lucy Steeds, Mick Wilson (eds), Curating after the Global: Roadmaps for the Present, The MIT Press, 2019

Ricci, Clarissa, Contemporary Art Infrastructures. The Politics of Exhibitions and the Management of Value, Mimesis International 2025 (forthcoming)

Salemink Oscar, et al (eds), Global Art in Local Art Worlds, Routledge, 2023

Smith, Terry, Curating the Complex & The Open Strike, Stenberg Press, 2021

Ugochikwu-Smooth C. Nzewi and Thomas Fillitz (eds), The Biennale of Dakar and the Making of Contemporary African Art, Routledge, 2021

Von Bismarck, Beatrice, The Curatorial Condition, Stenberg Press, 2022

 

Non-attending students

Non-attending students are highly encouraged to contact the teacher well before the exam.

Non-attending students will need to study:

• The same list of readings of attending students which can be downloaded from "Virtuale"
• Know about exhibitions discussed in class (list and PPTs available on "Virtuale")
• Read entirely the following volumes:

Gardner Anthony and Charles Green, Biennials, Triennials and Documenta, Wiley-Blackwell 2016;                                         

O'Neill, Paul The Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s), The MIT Press, 2012;

Metodi didattici

The course will combine lectures with a seminar-style approach, and flipped classroom techniques. Students are encouraged to play an active role within the course, through questions, comments and observations related to the lesson topics.

 

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

The final grade will be determined by two components: 50% based on the group presentation and 50% based on the oral examination, which will cover both the readings and the lessons.

Instructions for the group presentations will be provided on the first day of the course. For the oral exam, students are expected to demonstrate a solid understanding of the required readings listed in the syllabus, as well as the topics, exhibitions, and curatorial approaches discussed throughout the course.

 

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities

It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 10 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Powerpoints; Videos; Online resources. 

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Clarissa Ricci