exhibition at Casey Kaplan gallery NY in 2003
curated by Jens Hoffmann
http://www.caseykaplangallery.com
In recent years more and more group exhibitions began to be organized and set up by a simple formula. Curators started to choose a theme or topic and grouped a number of works around it that would represent the subject matter. Following the criticism expressed by many artists towards exhibitions in which art works are again and again emplyed to simply illustrate curators' personal fixations, Exhibitions of an Exhibition starts on the opposite end and does not state any concpet or overarching thought that ties the pieces and artists together. Rather it bringsthe worka nd the artists together in a way that leas one to consider the relationships that manigest themselves in the configuration of the works. The ininvited groups of artists representa an entirely subjective selection of works that i have appreciated for many years or only recently encountered and that i desired to bring together for the first time. In reversal of common curatorial methods, four curators have been invited to reflect on the selection anf to write a short thesis answering the question of how they see the works and the artists in relation to each other. By doing so, each curator, necessarily, begins to curate his or her own exhibition. Despite including the exact same artists and works, the results will be four different exhibition concepts based on a prearranged selection of artists. . . .
Each concept will be presented as a text near the gallery space along with the works of art. It is up to the viewers to decide which proposal the will read and which exhibition they will see. . or if they, without too much curatorial interference, directly encounter the works of art and leave the curatorial proposals behind.
text by Jens Hoffmann
Posted by delpesco at February 11, 2004 06:17 PM