Curious…

Another collaboration with Paul O’Neill, titled Curious, is now available for pre-order from Open Editions, David Blamey’s publishing project. Like so many books I have worked on, this is a work of love, not least because it gave me the opportunity to revisit a series of interviews with key curatorial and artistic voices from the perspective of the present. While the list of names may seem over-familiar, re-editing these interviews, all of which took place around two decades ago, highlighted for me that what we know as ‘curatorial history/ies’ is only a fraction of what unfolded in people’s career trajectories in various contexts. Led by a range of questions that mutated slowly from one interview to the next, the conversations highlight a wealth of detail – about networks, concerns, interconnections and events – that are often left out in the more cursory overviews of the development of the curatorial field that tend to focus on what over time become known as ‘highlights’. And although some concerns have come to the fore more explicitly and/or have become more pressing, these interviews also underline that many of the issues these illustrious figures who articulated their thoughts then are largely still to be resolved or properly addressed today. The interviews are preceded by a brief exchange by Paul and myself.

As Open Editions’ website states: ‘Ever wished you’d had an opportunity to gain inside information from an art world luminary in your field? Well, here’s your chance. Studying this book feels like doing primary research. All the questions you might wish to ask get better-than-hoped-for replies. The sense of intimacy generated by this form of inquisitive writing is palpable throughout. Wonderful to be reminded that the printed page still has the power to transport, enlighten, entertain and make mischief – especially in the realm of intellectual life.’ Yes, there is still plenty of value in the printed page, even when what has been revisited has been published before.

Launch(es) to follow…