From a History of Exhibitions Towards a Future of Exhibition-Making

Co-organized by Biljana Ciric and Rockbund Art Museum

The Rockbund Art Museum is proud to initiate its first project under “Curatorial Practices in Asia,” a new research platform dedicated to different local contexts situated in the region. Co-organized with the independent curator Biljana Ciric, the 2018 platform focuses on exhibition histories in China and Southeast Asia. Since the beginning of this year, a series of public events and activities have been dedicated to this regional exchange. The second part of an on-going project by the curator, the project will culminate into a two-day assembly on November 24-25, 2018, held in partnership with Shanghai Study Centre, The University of Hong Kong.

In addition to these discursive events, a Reading Room and an open-call research grant provide another important layer to the project. Currently on display in the museum first floor, the Reading Room provides a diverse collection of resources available to the public: primary archival material, critical readers, original catalogues, artist books, and out-of-print locally produced publications. The museum has also organized an open-call grant to support young researchers to initiate research into overlooked histories related to Mainland China.

About the Assembly 
A series of case studies, round table discussions, and keynote speeches will examine the possibilities of exhibitions as a form and medium. Using exhibitions from China and Southeast Asia during the 90s as a departure point, the contributors will explore how exhibitions can be understood across social and cultural contexts, highlighting differences, whilst inviting new methodologies to pin-point areas to develop new comparative forms of research. The platform also looks to draw awareness towards the specificity and diversity of practices found in Asia—thereby looking to contribute towards a (re)mapping of exhibition practices and histories within the region.

The keynote speakers include Qiu Zhijie, who will discuss exhibition-making practices in China through the prism of the Post Sensibility movement; Patrick D. Flores will provide a context of Southeast Asia in relation to his concept of the “exhibitionary”; and Zdenka Badovinac will reflect on the gestures of re-enacting exhibitions from the era of Yugoslavia, raising questions about what actions to take once a historical exhibition archive is created and how it can be activated in the future again. Other presentations and discussions featured will expand these topics towards other directions, engaging with themes related to the question of temporality, performativity, festival formats, nation identities, gender and representation—from a survey of different historical overviews, the legacy of artist-organized exhibitions will be considered, as well as the roles operated by curators during this period. From these historical studies and reflections, the project will work as a collective platform to initiate new collaborations and function as a resource for future research.

The Second Assembly is part an on-going curatorial project initiated by Biljana Ciric titled From a History of Exhibitions Towards a Future of Exhibition-Making. In collaboration with different institutions across the region, including ST PAUL St Gallery (Auckland) and Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai), the platform revisits the importance of the exhibition, exploring issues that go beyond the reflection of artworks in order to link art to a wider social context. 

Speakers
Zdenka Badovinac, Nikita Cai, Patrick D. Flores, Julia Hartmann, Nathalie Johnston, Miao Zijin, Anderson Lee, Qiu Zhijie, Carlos Quijon Jr., Grace Samboh, Seng Yujin, David Teh, Nhung Walsh, Wang Ziyun, Michelle Wong, Wei Yu, Maggie J Zhen