Hou Hanru on Post-COVID Museums: Rethinking Mission, Entertainment, and Digital Transformation
In a discussion featured in Artribune, curator Hou Hanru reflects on the evolving functions of museums in the aftermath of COVID-19, drawing from his tenure as the artistic director of MAXXI. He raises four critical inquiries regarding the mission of museums, their public significance, the aspect of entertainment, and the shift towards digitalization. Hanru contends that museums should resist privatization and act as community hubs, emphasizing that the pandemic has enabled public authorities to reclaim resources, which benefits cultural organizations. While he recognizes museums as sources of entertainment, he cautions against equating success solely with visitor counts. He insists that museums are dynamic centers of knowledge, underscoring the importance of physical spaces in a digital age, and concludes that they are essential for fostering hope and a sustainable art ecosystem.
Key facts
- Hou Hanru is a critic and curator living between Paris and San Francisco.
- He was born in 1963 in Guangzhou, China.
- He graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.
- He was Director of Exhibitions at MAXXI from 2006 to 2012.
- The article was published on Artribune in November 2020.
- Hanru raises four questions about museum mission, public value, entertainment, and digital transformation.
- He argues that museums must resist privatization and serve as public forums.
- He notes that COVID-19 led public authorities to regain control over economic decisions.
- He warns against populism in museums and reduction of success to numbers.
- He emphasizes museums' capacity to inspire and challenge norms.
- He insists that physical museums remain necessary for bodily experience.
- He calls for constant reinterpretation of history and memory.
- He advocates for an 'ecology of art' through continuous questioning.
Entities
Artists
- Hou Hanru
Institutions
- MAXXI
- Artribune
- Central Academy of Fine Arts Beijing
Locations
- Rome
- Paris
- San Francisco
- Guangzhou
- China