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 How to Become a Curator Līga Marcinkeviča, Jana Kukaine Interview with Adam Budak | |
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In the interview the curator for contemporary art Adam Budak talks about the multifaceted task of being a curator, in its various manifestations as a servant, as an agent and as an artist's shadow. Studija: If you were to be asked: "What are you?", what would you say? Adam Budak: Without a doubt I would say that I am a curator, whatever that may mean. The definition of what this profession consists of is still "work in progress". I've just come back from Rotterdam Dialogues, a symposium on curating that took place at Witte de With in Rotterdam. There was quite a wide selection of speakers there, also curators like Jan Hoet or Seth Sigelaub, who have done a lot to promote and shape this profession. There were also newcomers who are currently students in curatorial training programmes. The good thing was that the conference hall was crowded with young people, which means that this topic attracts a lot of attention. Curating is finally being acknowledged as an established metier. But now you may ask me how I define a curator's work, and, in order to answer, I will have to refer to curatorial practice and theory, which to a large extent is based on the principle of multidisciplinarity. Studija: It's to do with your education as well, isn't it? A.B.: I have studied different disciplines, and to my mind curating is the platform where all these disciplines meet. For me it is a theoretical exercise where I can test all the skills and the knowledge I have acquired previously: from the theatre, cinema, theory of art, architecture, philosophy. When I approach an artist or an exhibition I bring into play all the (methodological) tools that I have honed during my studies. My interests go far beyond the one single discipline, let's say, art history, which is always too narrow a field. Curating for me is a polyphonic activity, with many different voices intertwined. | |
 Adam Budak in Riga, March 2009 | |
| Studija: What does an art critic actually do, and how does it differ from curating?
A.B.: Art criticism is an activity that is focused on interpreting an art work or the artist's approach, or reviewing an exhibition as a cer-tain public act that takes place in a certain space. An art critic does not directly collaborate with the artist: this is what a curator does, bringing together the artist, the exhibition space and the conceptual field. The result of this collaboration is an exhibition. Curating is about mediating, about contextualizing the work by locating it within a certain space, by giving structure to the oeuvre of the artist. A curator creates links. Studija: Listening to you, one could think that everything is about curating is just fine. Unfortunately curators sometimes are looked upon as greedy people who impose their will on the artist, and afterwards go on to reap all the praise. A.B.: (Very surprised) Really? Studija: Yes! This is exactly what the majority of people in Latvia think. A.B.: But a curator is a servant of the artist! This is a gross misunderstanding. Well...of course, there are situations when the name of the curator is so dominant that it overshadows the artist. There are some creative personalities who consider curatorial work as a highly advanced conceptual activity, and as a result the power of the concept may reduce the significance of a piece of art, and the curatorial "signature" becomes more prominent. But this is only one approach and really - the least important. Curators help artists to introduce their works into the historical, social and conceptual context by making these works accessible to an audience. This is why the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna has estab-lished the position of curator, because in conversation with art students it was revealed that they didn't have the slightest idea what to do with their work once they graduated. The paintings remain in the studio, and there they are dead, because a work of art lives only in front of an audience. So there must be someone who will go to the studio, pick up the painting and show it to an audience at an exhibition. It's a curator who does this job! I don't know what the word ‘curator' means in your language. In Polish it also means: "someone who helps people who have problems in-tegrating with society". If you have committed a crime, for instance, you need somebody who will supervise your behavior. The state then assigns to you a ‘curator', who watches over you and modifies your actions if you are about to commit another wrongdoing, or simply to misbehave... Studija: In Latvian this word is loaded with connotations from its usage during the Soviet period, when a curator was the minder appointed by the KGB to monitor artists and to make sure that they held the "right" opinions. A.B.: So hence the negative perception of ‘curator'. In the Polish language also we are not that far away from this kind of understanding - a curator as a person who controls another person's actions, following like a shadow. Since this profession is relatively new and difficult to define, people use different analogies. We could compare a curator to a film director. He is at the beginning of everything. His role is to choose the script - the concept of the exhibition - and then to select the actors to play out the story. Without the director the exhibition would not have happened, the story would not have been told. Artists are making this story real. In the end you either remember the actors or the film director, or both. Studija: When it is a success this relationship is in the right proportions. A.B.: That's true, but it is hard to achieve. You have to understand that there are thousands of artists and only hundreds of curators. That's the thing: an artist is always in a less privileged situation, because there is much more competition. I could have selected other Latvian artists. My choice depends on what I want to say with this exhibition. It is very subjective. In this case, Miks and Evelīna suited me very well. There are curators that are interested in gender, political issues, theatricality... Studija: What are you interested in? A.B.: As you know, institutionally I am attached to the Kunsthaus Graz. My interests are very much influenced by the architecture of the building. I have always been interested in artworks that are site-specific, or architecturally and spatially sensitive. The architecture of Kunsthaus Graz is absolutely unique and complex; it is basically a bubble - a sphere without a single straight wall. At the moment it is the only building in the world that aims, in a very radical way, to redefine the notion of the white cube, which is the prototype of exhibition space in the 20th century. Therefore, especially now, my interests are directed towards works that are able to enter into a certain relationship - call it a dialogue or a conflict - with this particular space. So I am looking for artists who can deal with it. Studija: Which consideration led your choices when selecting works for Manifesta? A.B.: Because of the nomadic nature of Manifesta - it keeps travelling from one place to another - this time I was looking for art-works that would in some way relate to the specific geographical context, that is to the northern part of Italy. Not so much to the exhibition space as such, albeit this too was important, as we were working in the outstanding public spaces that belong to the architectural heritage of this region. After conducting preliminary research I understood what was important to me, such as the notion of belonging and similar. Studija: You have been invited to curate a biennial in Nantes, France, in June. What is the specific character of working for large international exhibitions? A.B.: Well, as regards scale, a biennale is always a rather monumental event - not a chamber group, but a symphony orchestra. The main difference is the size and the dimensions; it has a particular mission, a larger budget and it is directed at a different audience. After six years of working in Kunsthaus Graz I have now got to know my audience, while at international exhibitions I have to work as a guest curator in conditions which are not that familiar. Besides which every biennale is exposed to greater risks. That's why it is such a challenge. Coming back to the symposium in Rotterdam, I was moderating there in a panel discussion with the title: When is a biennale a success? As it happened, not willing to talk about success, I turned it upside down: When is a biennale a failure? I am much more interested in analyzing the causes of failure. I believe that failure is more productive, because it makes me think about the reasons why things went wrong. So when I have suffered a defeat, I say to myself: "My god! Something must be done because, obviously, I don't want to experience this again!" Now let's imagine that I may succeeded. I will simply say to myself: "Well done, and now I can go for a nap." Success makes me sluggish... But what was the question? Studija: You were talking about your experience of working on an international scale. Why should an artist want to participate in large exhibitions such as, for example, the Venice Biennale? A.B.: The artist gets out of his own accustomed environment. A biennale is always international and its significance is the ability to create new contexts. An artist's exposure at the Venice Biennale is a chance to become known outside his or her home country. For instance, during Manifesta Miks' works received great coverage in the media, and this is important. His name was noticed. Besides, a biennale is visited by all the leading speicalists in the field, including those curators that you so dislike... Studija: (Protesting) No, no, we do like them! A.B.: ... and they take a look at Miks' work. Maybe now Miks will be invited to another exhibition, it is like a chain reaction, you know. As a curator I make this work available. It's my gesture. Miks is young, he comes from a country which is in the East, he isn't working with any private gallery yet and hasn't participated in many exhibitions, and naturally his work is unknown. Another aspect of international art expositions is that each artist is telling a story about the nation and tradition they come from, so it is of benefit to a country that it is represented. Although in today's world rapid changes are taking place and the category of national belonging is disappearing, don't forget that the Venice Biennale is an event where the principle of country representation still holds. Studija: Apart from curators, what are the other key players in contemporary art? A.B.: Of course you have art critics and the media. If you are lucky enough, your work will be mentioned in one of the major art magazines which shape public opinion. Like Artforum in America, Frieze in London, Spike in Austria, Kunstforum in Germany...and Studija in Latvia. You read it and you find something interesting, intriguing, and you continue to research it on your own. Another significant element is the private market, i.e. art galleries, and of course public art institutions. They not only organize exhibitions, but also create collections, which are an important influence on how the history of art is written. Studija: Which are the regions showing the fastest growth in contemporary art right now? A.B.: It is difficult to tell. I think Asia, mainly China. Polish art still attracts a lot of attention as well. Generally these are young and un-known artists. The situation is a little extreme right now. On the one hand, there are the huge names which will always attract collectors. On the other hand, there are collectors who are searching for new artists. The latter tendency may be a result of the crisis, because these works aren't that expensive yet. Studija: Could you name any authorities in art today? A.B.: Yes, there are some particularly important people. From a historical perspective, mention should be made of Jan Hoet, the director of Documenta 9. He has established many institutions and his exhibition Chambres d'Amis was one of the most wonderful of the 20th century. Among the younger generation it is Hans Ulrich Obrist, of course. I can really recommend his new book, A Brief History of Curating. It includes interviews with people like Seth Siegelaub and Anne d'Harnoncourt. Studija: When planning an exhibition, do you prefer using existing works or producing new ones? A.B.: Sometimes I am interested in an existing work because it fits in with what I want to say with the exhibition or the venue where the exhibition is to take place. Of course it is more interesting to start up collaboration with the artist to produce a new artwork. For Manifesta we produced around 80% of what was there. In many cases it is impossible, because it may be too late or too expensive. With Miks I didn't want any new work, because I really liked the existing one (Collection of Persons). Often when an artist is better known and the work which I like has already been shown in millions of places, then I don't want to show it again (though, of course, when you expose an artwork within a different context it changes meaning.) I knew that Miks and Evelina will be a discovery for everybody, the same as it was a discovery for me. Studija: In the case where a new work is produced, how much do you get involved in the process? A.B.: I approach the artist with a concrete concept if I have intuited that this artist will respond to my ideas. When preparing the biennale in Nantes I was very much inspired by a movie of Jean Cocteau, The Blood of a Poet. When you watch this movie you are overcome by the feeling that it is an enclosed whole which gradually gets unfolded. I can imagine it in the three dimensional space of an exhibition. In this way I build an archive, selecting and talking to artists. There are many artists who only work specifically to the site, so you cannot show them anywhere else. Curating, besides being a service to the artist, is also creative. You are creating relations, you are building up a rhizomatic structure of interconnections. I like it when dance links up with theatre, and then visual art and film come into it. It is like architecture. Studija: How do you make up your team of artists? A.B.: It is a combination of intuition, research and my under-standing of the particular task. Right now I am working on an exhibition in Łódź (Poland). The exhibition will form a part of the festival Dialogue of Four Cultures. The key theme for this year's festival is ‘territory'. My task was to come up with a proposal for the exhibition that would reflect this theme, and at the same time would be relevant to the city of Łódź. Bearing these two elements in mind, I came up with the concept of ‘the rituals of homecoming'. Now I am selecting works of art that are concerned with these kinds of issues. Studija: How does one become a curator? A.B.: There are many...let's call them structural patterns. In France, for instance - a great many exhibitions there are assembled by philosophers. The work of a curator is something that you do after the completion of your basic studies. I haven't completed a curatorial pro- gram, but I have established one in Krakow. There we only accept people who already have a master's degree. There are philologists, art histo-rians, scientists, mathematicians, and so on amongst the students. It means that art history does not have a monopoly on determining who is becoming a curator. I would risk saying that when an art historian wants to be a curator, it is the less interesting scenario. It is pretty boring, or predictable. A philosopher as curator is much more interesting. For me the path to curatorial practice was quite easy. I come from the field of theatre, which is about working in real space, with a real audience. One evening you may fail, but next time you may do better. It is not like directing a movie where you can take twenty shots. Then I went to Prague, to the Central European University, where I studied the history and philosophy of art and architecture. At that time I was falsely identified as an art historian. Nobody knew that I didn't have art historian training. I was among architects and philosophers, and it was illuminating! I didn't know then that I was to become a curator, but I acquired an awareness of concepts and philosophical issues, and also I developed a sensitivity to space. And basically curating is all about how to distribute ideas hidden behind each physical art work within the available exhibition space. Studija: What do you read? A.B.: Generally speaking, I hardly ever read books on art history or art theory. For me literature, philosophy and cinema are more important. To a large extent my exhibitions are based upon concrete texts. Last year in Graz I put together an exhibition Collection as Alef, which was inspired by the writing of Jorge Luis Borges. I think that he has developed a very important interdisciplinary mechanism for understanding the universe. He built up labyrinths and libraries, combining philosophy, architecture, literature and critical theories. Coming back to Manifesta: there I tried to connect two ideas. The first was derived from the notion of critical regionalism which was introduced by Kenneth Frampton in order to investigate the exploitation of a region's critical potential. The second idea comes from the book Principle of Hope by Ernst Bloch, where he examines dreams and fantasising about a better future. It was intriguing to realise that these issues were of great significance in that particular part of Italy. Studija: What does it mean to be critical about something? A.B.: When you look at a certain situation, you analyze it and discover an intriguing twist. So you start asking questions, you don't want to accept it as a given. You start digging deeper, and discover that the hole is bigger than you thought. Then you gradually arrive at a new evaluation, and you understand that all is not as simple as it had initially seemed. This complexity is the thing you gain, you become richer. But it must be a two-way process, because the wish must arise in you to contemplate it, and at the same time you have to accept that we will never understand everything completely. The world is in a state of sleep, and you have to wake it up a little bit. Adam Budak (1966) studied theatre sciences at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, and later philosophy and history of art and architecture at the Central European University in Prague. He is currently curator for contemporary art at the Kunsthaus Graz, which forms a part of the oldest museum in Austria, the Landesmuseum Joanneum. He also runs a postgraduate curatorial studies programme in Krakow. Budak has curated for a large number of international exhibitions: the Polish Pavilion of the 9th Venice Biennale of Architecture (2004), the International Biennale of Contemporary Art in Prague (2005) and Manifesta 7 (2008), in which he invited the Latvian artists Miks Mitrēvics and Evelīna Deičmane to take part. . | |
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