Curating Exhibitions: What I’ve Learned
The main things I’ve learned from curating art exhibitions.
Organizing an exhibition requires a lot of preparation. There’s a lot to think about and anticipate, down to the smallest detail. That’s why there are curators and gallery owners. They take care of all the material and practical aspects, allowing the artist to concentrate on his artistic production. But this comes at a price. Emerging artists don’t always have the resources to hire a curator, and are sometimes scorned by galleries because they don’t yet have a reputation.
On the other hand, I’ve noticed that art schools, at least in France, give students little or no training in organizing exhibitions of their work. This makes it all the more difficult for them to make a name for themselves. They are caught between the need to produce in order to make a living from their creations and the need to invest a lot of time in making themselves known to the public. For self-taught artists, the situation is even more complicated. The lack of skills or a method can discourage them in the face of the workload.
During my Contemporary Art Economy Master, I did an internship at the FIAC (Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain, now called “Paris+ by Art Basel”). It is the most important contemporary art fair in France.
