It seems seldom these days to see art curation being taken seriously. Either these days it's corporate collections or corporate competitions, with the odd gallery here and there having a professional curator. I can't say I am surprised much... it's a thankless task. If you want to curate independently there's no money. No commission. A labour of love, until galleries see the need to hire people, even on a freelance basis. This explains why it's been a frigging age since I saw a decent contemporary group show, with some simmer of intellect above 'Summer 07' or 'Recent Aquisitions'. If we look to Europe, the contemporary curator is treated like a small god, we recognise their names, on par with contemporary artists. Curators are a vital aspect of art, the people that help the viewer see, the people who pick out intellectual trends and remix it for our consumption.

This brings me to mention Linda Stupart, a friend of mine who has begun this year to hold free workshops for young curators, at the Centre for African Studies at UCT. I believe it has been going well, and I hope it has lit a spark in some people.

Which brings me to Linda's latest venture, a curation of UCT's permanent collection of art. It was interesting, as this show seemed to be exclusively about curating, and the joy of it. Instead of a lot of curating which I have seen recently, for example Africa Remix, where the work is placed in a way that accentuates the individual, this show more looked at the narratives, relationships and links between the works. Obviously this wasn't the point in a show like Africa Remix which had different intentions entirely, but I still find seeing a strong curatorial hand to be a delight. The work itself wasn't extraordinary, but it gave you an insight into the trends of UCT's collection policies, something which was surprisingly interesting.

Labels: curating, Linda Stupart, Uct