Afterall's Exhibition Histories Series Explores Curatorial Experimentation from 1950s to 1990s

Afterall's research project 'Art Becoming Public' includes a section on curatorial experimentation that examines key exhibitions from the 1950s through the 1990s. The 1998 Bienal de São Paulo, curated with a Brazilian perspective, used anthropophagy as a method to encourage 'contamination' and 'cannibalisation' of the canon, integrating art, culture, and political history. Lucy Lippard's 'numbers shows' (1969–74) marked her transition from writer to curator and her growing feminist engagement. The 1969 exhibitions 'Op Losse Schroeven' and 'When Attitudes Become Form' introduced Arte Povera, Conceptual, and Land art with new curatorial approaches. 'an Exhibit' (1957), a collaboration between Richard Hamilton, Victor Pasmore, and Lawrence Alloway, explored abstract environmental forms and audience participation. APTART (1982–84) in Moscow consisted of covert 'anti-shows' in private apartments that conflicted with Soviet authorities. 'Culture in Action' (1993) in Chicago redefined public art through eight collaborative projects engaging local communities. The project also features a video of Lucy Lippard in conversation with Lucy Steeds.