The role of the curator and its development today – discussion / Article

June 17 at 18.00 Riga Photography Biennale – NEXT 2021 and awards “New Curator!” In the program on the website “Facebook” and on the portal LSM.lv there will be a discussion “The role of the curator and its development today”, in which the participants of the discussion will focus on various issues affecting this sector.

The discussion will be attended by art historian and curator Irēna Bužinska, independent curator and art process researcher Auguste Petre, new curator Tīna Pētersone, curator and art theorist Kaspars Vanags, and will be chaired by art historian and curator Antra Priede.

Since September 2018, it is possible to acquire the specialization of curators within the Art History and Theory sub-branch of the Latvian Academy of Arts. As lecturers, the program is implemented by world-renowned and locally recognized curators and professionals who help aspiring professionals acquire the skills and competencies needed for curators as creative mediators between the arts, artists, society and socio-political events.

According to the creators of the Riga Photography Biennale program “NEXT”, there are still notions and stereotypes about the role of the curator both in the study process and in the local art environment, not allowing to understand the importance of this duty in the art ecosystem not only as a process manager but also as its creator and new creator.

In order to promote understanding of the curator’s contribution and at the same time develop the curator’s profession in Latvia, the Riga Photography Biennale – NEXT in cooperation with the Latvian Academy of Arts curator specialization launched a new program – the competition “New Curator!”. The first prize was won by Tīna Pētersone with the exhibition application “To fall in love, click here”, which can be seen from May 8 to June 27 in the exhibition hall “Pilot” of the Latvian Academy of Arts.

The “New Curator!” A discussion “The role of the curator and its development today” is organized to talk about the importance of the curator as a creative personality and mediator in contemporary art and cultural processes, who creates a more successful mechanism of dialogue with society. Diversity will be highlighted as one of the content lines, offering a democratic and inclusive approach, meaning that there is no a priori hierarchical system of experience that forms the profile of the modern curator. No experience is left out and no one is of any higher importance in terms of origin or content. The ability and desire to present one’s views and work in public, transparently and reasonably articulate it will also be considered.

“Although the focus is currently on the work of the younger generation curator, it is important to be aware of the development of the role of the local stage curator before using this term, so curators of different generations and experiences will participate in the discussion,” the organizers emphasized.

Riga Photography Biennale – NEXT is an international contemporary art event that focuses on visual culture analysis and artistic representation. NEXT focuses on young artists from the Baltics, the Nordic countries and other European countries who are still at the beginning of their creative careers. By introducing new, promising authors, the NEXT program provides visibility and a platform for artists and curators to present themselves in a broader context.

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