June 12–July 24, 2017
The Riga Biennial, whose first edition will be inaugurated in June 2018, is seeking a Curator of Public Programmes. In line with the Biennial’s profile, which takes the rich history of Riga and the Baltic states as its underlying framework; as well as the Biennial’s working process that starts from the local, expanding to the national and the regional, and finally to the transnational, the Curator of Public Programmes will develop and follow-up the Biennial’s discursive activities, including: talks, workshops, seminars, performances and lectures. The candidate will also be responsible for filling out the content of related texts in print and online and for following up on the organization of the programme.
The public programme should make connections between contemporary art and a wide range of intellectual fields, such as history, sociology, anthropology, music, theatre, or literature, with a focus on both regional and international issues and themes. The Curator of Public Programmes will prioritise artists but will also work with other professionals in the cultural field and the humanities, in order to probe contemporary art’s social, political and historical relevance. We are looking for a public programme that is engaging and ambitious, but also accessible and meaningful for an audience outside the domain of the contemporary visual arts in Latvia, catering particularly to young people, in addition to adults.
The successful candidate will have an in-depth knowledge of contemporary art, but will also be well informed in other areas of knowledge, which are important for contemporary artistic production such as history, sociology, philosophy and anthropology. We are looking for someone who can inspire audiences, build bridges between constituencies and communities. The candidate will be an excellent communicator, orally and in writing, and will have strong organisational skills. He or she will be fluent in English, both written and oral. A knowledge of the Baltic art scene and wider cultural landscape is an advantage. Finally, the Curator of Public Programmes will collaborate with aspects of the Latvian higher education sector and for developing student participation in the programme.
The Curator of Public Programmes will work closely with the Chief Curator of the 1st Riga Biennial, Katerina Gregos. The Curator of Public Programmes should be willing to spend considerable time in Riga and will required to be present in the city every time there is an event. The position is part time and will commence at the beginning of October this year. The public programme will kick off at the beginning of 2018 and will run throughout the duration of the Biennial.
Candidates wishing to apply should download and fill in the application form on the RIBOCA website (see: Vacancies) and provide a letter of motivation (no longer than 350 words). In addition to this candidates should also provide a conceptual outline for the whole public programme (maximum 1000 words) and a list of possible participants with short biographies. Candidates should send the required documentation to Anastasia Blokhina, Executive Director of RIBOCA, together with their biography. The deadline for applications is Monday, July 24.
Contact: anastasia@rigabiennial.com
The top five candidates will receive an honorarium of 1000 euros for their proposals.
