Having started calling myself a ‘curator of publications’ about a decade ago, it was interesting to see a job with that title being advertised late last year for the publication(s) for the next iteration of Skulptur Projekte Münster in 2027. As a ten-yearly event, publications – be they printed matter or digital ones – can be argued to be even more important for their potential to (re)present research and other journeys, offer various modes of mediation and documentation, and thereby contribute to the event’s legacy and its inscription in exhibitions and curatorial histories.
I was intrigued by the fact the job was clearly situated as a curatorial rather than an editorial one, and felt somewhat vindicated for my small decade-old provocation. Given that What How and For Whom (WHW) are the overall curators of the 2027 version of Skulptur Projekte Münster, whose work explicitly explores the potential of political and social agency of curatorial work through collaboration (and whom I reference often when teaching), I briefly thought about applying. However, realising that it would be a more than full-time job for which I would have to drop other projects underway, and more, I refrained. The job fell clearly in very capable hands, and seeing the achievements of the person appointed underlined the expanse of their remit as a curatorial one.
Gerrie van Noord 