Statement from Hans Ulrich Obrist:

1) The Don’t Stop principle: We never stop.

2) NBO (New Beijing Optimism): In the lull of Post-Olympic flagging pep, and in the spirit of our declaration of NLO (New London Optimism) at last October’s Manifesto Marathon at the Serpentine Gallery in London, it is imperative to identify this moment as a force for optimism; we are here to proclaim NBO.

3) Anti-Cyclicality: Having purposely abstained from the rush to concert activities around the Beijing Olympics, we are anti-cyclical; This is it, now: The dawn of the New Year is no incentive for pause.

4) Polyphony of Marathons: This Beijing Mini-Marathon is not the first, but one in a chain of mini-marathons taking place in the city, the first being Beijing Pavilion: this event is urgent.

5) Trans-Disciplinarity: We direct our scope to a plurality of scenes; Chinese art cannot accept boundaries – those of disciplines, of generations, of geographies: Chinese art must have an open mind.

6) Book Machine: the Beijing Mini-Marathon event is a real-time complex dynamic feedback loop; the event will produce a publication, a document, a battery: a machine that generates energy for future development in the Chinese context

Now Showing | Curators as Models

By Jonathan S. Paul

Curators as models: Julien Fronsacq (Palais de Tokyo, Paris); Olivier Sailliard (Musée de la Mode et du Textile, Paris); Hans Ulrich Obrist (Serpentine Gallery, London)

The relentless convergence of art and fashion continues. Exhibit Y: the new spring look book for Yohji Yamamoto’s classic, less expensive line called Y’s. In lieu of a fashion show, every season Yamamoto produces a catalog with an editorial conceit. Past concepts have included shooting the clothes on graphic designers, actors and classical dancers. This season it’s museum curators in New York, Paris, London and Antwerp. Who knows, maybe next year’s crop of brooding real-life models will be investment bankers.

There are more curators after the jump.

Léanne Sacramone (Fondation Cartier, Paris); Kaat Debo (Momu Anvers, Antwerp); Angeline Scherf (Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris)

Curators’ Circle

There has never been a more exciting time to be part of the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Image information

Recent acquisitions of new and extraordinary works of art have strengthened the Gallery’s collection, boldly positioning the AGO as an institution of international significance at the heart of Toronto’s cultural life.

The AGO — with its remarkable redesign by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry — is now all the more compelling. Shaping art experiences in innovative and powerful ways, Gehry’s architecture makes surprising connections and offers new insight into art.

Curators’ Circle Gives You a Closer Relationship.

We invite you to be part of Curators’ Circle and enjoy a relationship that will bring new depth to your interest in art. Join other art enthusiasts, collectors and friends of the Gallery at exclusive exhibition previews, tours of the collections, and enlightening talks with artists and curators.

As a member of Curators’ Circle, you will be part of the legacy of patronage that has characterized the Gallery’s growth and artistic life.

Your support makes a difference.

Become a Curators’ Circle Member of the Art Gallery of Ontario

1. ONLINE: Click here to purchase your membership online through our secure membership registration page.
2. BY PHONE: Call 416 979 6619 to discuss the various options available.
3. BY EMAIL: Send us a message at Curators_Circle@ago.net.
4. BY FAX: Complete the Curators’ Circle Membership Application Form and fax it to 416 979 6646.
5. BY MAIL: Complete the Curators’ Circle Membership Application Form and mail it to:
   

   Curators’ Circle Membership, Art Gallery of Ontario
   317 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1G4

How to: work with curators

Quick guides by Gemma Tipton

The role of the curator in the field of visual art has evolved and changed over the past few decades. Initially – and this is where the term comes from – it meant simply to ‘care’ for a collection. The curator was the person whose job it was to know everything about the collection. They were responsible for conservation, documentation, archiving, writing labels and sometimes longer texts, budgeting, and occasionally selecting exhibitions from the works available in the collection. The extensive knowledge the curator had, however, also lent itself to the job of bringing that knowledge, and the art works to the public, and with that, the role began to grow.

exploratory images

Make a formula for the 21st century curator

Hans Ulrich Obrist has spent 15 years commissioning formulae from some of the biggest names in fields as diverse as mathematics and sociology, including Richard Dawkins, Damien Hirst and Yoko Ono. His brief was: “Make a formula for the 21st Century”.

In the pursuit of the superstar curator I am following Hans Ulrich Obrist´s `Formulas for Now´ along with his desire to formulate the seemingly unformulatable and asking curators from all over the world to “Make a formula for the 21st century curator”.

olav@gmx.co.uk

CURATORIAL APPRENTICES REQUIRED

In search of the Superstar Curator

As a curatorial apprentice, guided by the Norwegian writer & curator Olav Henriksen, I am investigating the notion of the ‘superstar curator’ in an attempt to create (or manufacture) the perfect curator. I am now looking to recruit WORLDWIDE APPRENTICES to help on this project. The ‘superstar curator’ is a fairly virginal phenomenon, but increasingly we are seeing curators of a ‘superstar’ calibre, most of which play the international circuit, making them c-o-n-s-i-d-e-r-a-b-l-y more ‘windswept and interesting’.