Paul O’Neill’s ‘The Culture of Curating’ Examines Curator-as-Artist
Published by MIT Press in 2012, Paul O’Neill’s 'The Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s)' examines the transformation of curators from mere caretakers to influential authors since the late 1980s. The book draws on Gerardo Mosquera’s 1994 idea of asymmetrical power within global curation. O’Neill posits that transcultural curating can incorporate marginalized art into the Western canon; however, his perspective remains Western-centric and does not disrupt existing power dynamics. It consists of three chapters: the history of curation, biennials as 'glocal' events, and the notion of the 'curator-as-artist,' addressing critiques from figures such as Bart de Baere and Robert Storr. Ambra Gattiglia and Hyo Gyoung Jeon’s review raises questions about whether the professionalization of curating enhances critical engagement.
Key facts
- Paul O’Neill’s book 'The Culture of Curating and the Curating of Culture(s)' was published in 2012 by MIT Press.
- The title references Gerardo Mosquera’s 1994 concept of asymmetrical power in global curation.
- O’Neill argues that transcultural curating can integrate peripheral art into the Western canon.
- The book is divided into three chapters covering curatorial history, biennials, and the curator-as-artist.
- 'Magiciens de la Terre' (1989) curated by Jean-Hubert Martin at Centre Pompidou and Grande Halle de La Villette in Paris is discussed as a flawed global survey.
- O’Neill rejects Adorno and Horkheimer’s fixed division of labor between artist and curator.
- Critiques from Bart de Baere, Robert Storr, Alex Farquharson, Maria Lind, and Irit Rogoff are dismissed by O’Neill.
- The review is by Ambra Gattiglia and Hyo Gyoung Jeon, graduates of Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
Entities
Artists
- Paul O’Neill
- Gerardo Mosquera
- Jean-Hubert Martin
- Theodor Adorno
- Max Horkheimer
- Bart de Baere
- Robert Storr
- Alex Farquharson
- Maria Lind
- Irit Rogoff
- Mick Wilson
- Ambra Gattiglia
- Hyo Gyoung Jeon
- Carlos Basualdo
- Ute Meta Bauer
- Catherine David
- Charles Esche
- Mark Francis
- Beatrice von Bismarck
- Jörn Schafaff
- Thomas Weski
- Terry Smith
- Hans Ulrich Obrist
- Sarah Cook
- Beryl Graham
- Carolee Thea
Institutions
- MIT Press
- Centre Pompidou
- Grande Halle de La Villette
- Paris Biennale
- Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
- University of the Arts London
- Open Editions
- de Appel
- Sternberg Press
- Independent Curators International (ICI)
- D.A.P
- NIFCA
- Kala Press
Locations
- Cambridge, MA
- London
- Paris
- Amsterdam
- New York
- Helsinki
Sources
- Afterall —