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Cultures of the Curatorial

Fermentieren: Perspektiven auf „Osten“, GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig, Eröffnung 09.12.2022
Fermenting: Perspectives on »Osten«, GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig, Opening: 09.12.2022
Erfrischungsraum 2, OSTEN FESTIVAL Bitterfeld-Wolfen, 01.-03.07.22
Hospitality. Online Exhibition, 15.01.–23.04.2021.
Bonus Woche, Albertinum, Dresden, 2010
The Subjective Object. Grassi Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig, 2012
Returning to Sender, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, 2014
Vom Zeigen und Schauen. GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig, 2016
RE: Bachelor Machines. HGB Gallery, 2018
Show and Try Again. Ballroom & Gallery HGB, 2019
On the Image and its Capture, 05.12.2023, HGB Festsaal
On the Image and its Capture
On the Image and its Capture, december 5, 2023, HGB Festsaal
On the Image and its Capture

This program curated by Lama El Khatib offers a space for the study of Orientalism and Orientalist modalities as visual and aural infrastructures of today's intensifying military, carceral, and racial regimes. Through films on display and a Round Table, practioners share possibilities of discursive and aesthetic resistance at the site of the image's capture.

You can find information about the event here.

Cultures of the Curatorial is a graduate program which combines practice-based research and theoretical reflection. It addresses people from a variety of disciplinary or professional backgrounds: the arts – visual arts, dance, theatre, film, architecture, design or music, – cultural mediation, the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. What they have in common is a shared interest in a dedicated practice in the cultural field and in a concentrated, academically grounded acquisition of additional qualifications for their future professional practice in the curatorial field.
The curatorial is understood as a cultural practice, which goes decisively beyond the making of exhibitions and has developed into a practice in its own right of generating, communicating and reflecting experience and knowledge. The study program Cultures of the Curatorial thus does not only deal with methods of conception, organisation and implementation of curatorial projects, but also with the theoretical tools for analysis, discussion and further development of exhibitions and other forms of cultural mediation in a transdisciplinary and transcultural context.
Conception
The background to the study program Cultures of the Curatorial is the observation that in the course of the 20th century in the arts and sciences specific modes of practices, formats and aesthetics have developed, which can be subsumed by the term "curatorial". Accordingly theory and practice are treated as mutually intertwined in the program: In seminars, workshops, lectures and field trips staff and participants address the historical and current relations, conditions and potentials the curatorial has developed as an independent cultural practice. In addition in two curatorial projects the participants will develop their own statements in relation to the current challenges and possibilities of the curatorial.
 
What is the relevance of the curatorial within the cultural field under the conditions of globalisation? How do processes, strategies and effects of the curatorial relate to those of art and science? Where could common grounds or perspectives of reciprocal exchange be located? What kind of specificities does the curatorial adopt in the different arts and which forms does it assume in different cultures? Which functions does the curatorial take on in the respective aesthetic, social or economic contexts?
 
Questions such as these are at the centre of the program Cultures of the Curatorial. The four semester program involves a team of staff members of the Academy of Fine Arts (HGB) and international guests from the fields of art, academic disciplines and curatorial practice. Cultures of the Curatorial is a part-time MA program.
Guests speakers and Cooperations

Up to ten international guests annually contribute to the program’s offerings in the form of workshops, lectures, conversations and colloquiums. These guests include artists, especially those who work in an especially curatorial way; scholars from a broad range of disciplines relevant to the curatorial; and of course both freelance and staff curators. There are also guests from fields immediately connected to the curatorial, such as publishing and art criticism.The master program Cultures of the Curatorial works with a number of international guests from the fields of the arts, curatorial practice and different scientific fields. They are an integral part of the seminars as well as contributors to the various discursive formats - panels, talks, symposia - which address key topics in order to further develop the research on and with the curatorial.

Guests have been Jennifer Allen, Pierre Bal-Blanc, Bassam el Baroni, Tulga Beyerle, Daniel Birnbaum, Claire Bishop, Gabriele Brandstetter, Sabine Breitwieser, Sabeth Buchmann, Nanne Buurman, Binna Choi, Hans D. Christ, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Barbara Clausen, Alice Creischer, Dieter Daniels, Pip Day, Clémentine Deliss, Atul Dodiya, Helmut Draxler, Iris Dressler, Antke Engel, Loretta Fahrenholz, Fehras Publishing Practices, Veza Maria Fernandez Ramos, Rike Frank, Anselm Franke, Lorenzo Fusi, Sigrid Gareis, Heike Gfrereis, Liam Gillick, Greater Form (Philipp Rödel, Lina Ruske), Wiebke Gronemeyer, Erik Hagoort, Angela Harutyunyan, Adrian Heathfield, Anna Lena von Helldorf, Nikolaus Hirsch, Hannah Hurtzig, Kino in Bewegung, Jutta Koether, Christian Kravagna, Kulturbahnhof e.V. (Yvonne Anders und Mandy Gehrt), Vera Lauf, André Lepecki, Maria Lind, Florian Malzacher, MdbK mobil (Manu Washaus), Ari Benjamin Meyers, Matthias Michalka, Maureen Mooren, Maria Muhle, Matthias Mühling, Vanessa Joan Müller, Christian Philipp Müller, Monica Narula, Susanne Neubauer, Marion von Osten, Philipp Oswalt, Sarah Pierce, Raqs Media Collective, Marcelo Rezende, Dorothee Richter, Michael Riedel, Irit Rogoff, Stefan Römer, Willem de Rooij, Hartmut Rosa, ruangrupa, Eran Schaerf, Yorgos Sapountzi, Jörn Schafaff, Kerstin Schankweiler, Peter Schneemann, Jana Scholze, Mario Schulze, Maya Schweizer, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, Avinoam Shalem, Payam Sharifi, Simon Sheikh, Andreas Siekmann, Bennett Simpson, Gayatri Sinha, Nanette Snoep, Lucy Steeds, Barbara Steiner, Gregor Stemmrich, Nora Sternfeld, Hito Steyerl, Leire Vergara, Anton Vidokle, Dan Voh, Hortensia Völckers, Hilke Wagner, Jenny Walden, Victoria Walsh, Katharina Weinstock, Eyal Weizman, Victoria-Luise Welsh, Thomas Weski, Karin Wieckhorst, Ulf Wuggenig, Jun Yang, Benjamin Zachariah, Beti Žerovc, Tirdad Zolghadr, et al.

Cultures of the Curatorial cooperates with international partners. The exchange contributes to a wide practical and theoretical footing of the teaching and research. Our partners include:

Symposia + Workshops
Akteur*in Ausstellungs*geschichte
Akteur*in Ausstellungs*geschichte
Talk by Rike Frank, Merve Verlag, Leipzig 2018
Lecture program and performance (re) framing the museum
Lecture program and performance (re) framing the museum
Kunsthalle in the Lipsiusbau Dresden, 2015. Contributors: Tulga Beyerle, Anne Pöhlmann, Veza Maria Fernandez Ramos, Martina Ruhsam, Gayatri Sinha, Hilke Wagner. Image: Video-Lecture „Extensions of Memories“ by Anne Pöhlmann
Meeting Hospitality: Hosting Relations in Exhibitions, „Situationen“
Meeting Hospitality: Hosting Relations in Exhibitions, „Situationen“
Space interventions by KdK students in cooperation with students of the Media Art department, Gallery of the HGB Leipzig 2012
Course of study & modules

Cultures of the Curatorial is a postgraduate master´s degree program. The curriculum is divided into the following modules:

  1. History and theory of curating / History of exhibitions
    Central to the module is the format of the exhibition from a historical perspective with its aesthetic, cultural, social, political and economic relations conditions. It deals with the history and development of the public manifestations of art and culture as well as with the different research approaches developed to deal with them. Particular importance is placed on the relation of the curatorial to artistic practice on the one hand and theoretical practice on the other.
  2. Art history and theory of modern and contemporary art.
    The module provides an overview of the essential artistic positions and art movements from 1800 to the present that are of relevance to the curatorial. It deals with historical and contemporary artistic works and positions, art discourse and theories, which are fundamental for the understanding of art and culture since modernity. Key terms are Gesamtkunstwerk, installation, context orientation, self-organisation and teamwork, the concept of artistic labor, artistic mediation and the dematerialisation of the art object.
  3. Research practice I: Curatorial project
    The focus is on key curatorial competences in practice. In small groups the aim is to complete all steps of the curatorial work from conception to implementation and at the same time to reflect on its conditions and potentials. The group project gets realized in relation to a specific institution.
  4. History and theory of curating / Transdisciplinarity
    The focus is on forms of presentation and mediation of visual art in relation to those of other artistic and academic disciplines – such as dance, theatre, film, music, literature, architecture, anthropology and natural sciences. They are contextualized  within the academic discourses and methods which determine the study and research of these various disciplines.
  5. History and theory of curating / Transculturality
    The module deals with curatorial practices in different cultures. The focus is on the processes, strategies and perspectives which shape curatorial actions in a globalised cultural field. Relevant are the conditions of the mobilisation of people, objects and information, along with the aesthetic, economic, political and social implications and effects for the respective contexts.
  6. Research practice II: Master project/Conception
    The module is aimed towards the independent conception and development of a comprehensive project with reference to theoretical and practical curatorial methods as well as to relevant forms of knowledge. With a contentual conception chosen by the student, the aim is to develop one’s own curatorial techniques and methods, which will ultimately lead to the final curatorial project and the written thesis.
  7. Research practice III: Master project
    The focus is on the independent realisation of the master project, consisting of the final curatorial project and the written thesis. The task is to implement a curatorial project with a contentual concept chosen by the student and interconnected with academic-theoretical research. The module marks the completion of the study.
Final Projects
There is no such Thing as Health
There is no such Thing as Health
24 June – 15 July 2023

As part of the exhibition, artists with and without psychiatric experience show their works in the gallery of the Durchblick association Leipzig.

artists: Johanna Blank, Sophie Hoyle, Michael Pleißner, Anne-Katrin Störmer, Abuzze von Schandel, Cat Woywodconcept,
curation & texts: Lisa Dreykluft
editing: Helen Stefanie Schneider
poster design: Robin Vehrs
photo documentation: Maximilian Koppernock
re-assembly: trying to find a form with essay
re-assembly: trying to find a form with essay
The research installation and lecture performance show an excerpt of a transdisciplinary collaborative research process with essay.

Concept by:
Sophia-Charlotte Reiser
Merle Petsch
Leopold Haas
Monuments of the Future?
Monuments of the Future?
Workshop Toolkit for engaging with monuments in public space, 2023, Berlin and Washington. Curated by Martha Schwindling and Marlene Oeken for and with the Goethe-Institut Washington. Graphic design: Jonas Fechner.
"From the Perspective of the Safety Net" / iDiv Artist Residency Exhibition
"From the Perspective of the Safety Net" / iDiv Artist Residency Exhibition
The exhibition "From the Perspective of the Safety Net" (25.05.2023-23.06.2023) presented the results of the collaboration between the artists - Snow Paik, Steph Joyce, Nike Kühn, and Julie Hart - and iDiv scientists from various research fields. Curated by Sophie Wolf and Robert Köpke. Financed by: Deutsches Zentrum für integrative Biodiversitätsforschung (iDiv) Halle, Jena, Leipzig; Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung UFZ; Friedrich-Schiller-Universität; Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg; Universität Leipzig
Short Dated
Short Dated
Pop-up-Store for artist books and magazines. 2021, Galerie Stephanie Kelly e.V., Dresden. Curated by: Lucie Klysch, Maria Junker, Isabella Engelhardt.
Post Ost
Post Ost
Artistic book project in cooperation with artist Marlene Milla Woschni, 2021. By: Maria Junker, Lucie Klysch, Marlene Milla Woschni.
Bedeutungsgeflecht
Bedeutungsgeflecht
Single edition artists’ book, 2021. Curated by: Jeroen Cavents.
Contributors: Orgil Oyundelger, Zoé Fauvel, Dominique Rivard, Luka Van der Cruyssen, Laura Aponte, Raf Wollaert, Joris De Hondt, Jeroen Cavents, Francis Nowak, Sophie Meuresch
THIS IS NOT A NIGHTCLUB
THIS IS NOT A NIGHTCLUB
Audiovisual intervention and record release in the context of the exhibition DOSIS II at the Institut für Zukunft, 26.08.2021 - 23.09.2021. Curation and room concept: Ewa Meister and Johanna Ralser. Text and voice: Kristin Gruber. Production and sound: Giuli Giani. Design: Eva Dumoulin.
Humans as watery beings
Humans as watery beings
(exhibition / workshop / talk)
An artistic-scientific (re)connection with our watery bodies and our watery environment in times of the Anthropocene.
Flussbad-Garten at Spreekanal, August 2021. Curated by Anne-Christine Liske / Works by Paloma Ayala, Silvia Costa, Shannon Cooney, Anne-Laure Franchette, Jakob Kukula, Mélia Roger, Riikka Tauriainen.
Food Fight
Food Fight
Pop-up Picnic Exhibition
August 25th, 2021, Körnerpark, Berlin. Curated by: Christopher Paxton. With works from Marie Baldwin, Raegan Bird, Alexis Convento, Evan Hamilton, Aleksandra Janz, Avantika Khanna, Chloé Techoueyres, Guoda Trečiokaitė and Whitney Wei.
Oír Somos Río | Flussrauschen Flusslauschen
Oír Somos Río | Flussrauschen Flusslauschen
Curated by: Grindwal Kollektiv (Magdalena Walpoth & Elkin Calderón Guevara).
Texts by Godula Buchholz and Velia Vidal. With photographs by Godula Buchholz. Bogotá-Berlin, 2021.
ROTA ritualist performance by Paulina Hupe on the occasion of the Summer Solstice of 2019
ROTA ritualist performance by Paulina Hupe on the occasion of the Summer Solstice of 2019
ROTA was the first event of a series of projects, that curator Ingrid Kraus has initiated to investigate the expression of diverse bodily experiences in the curatorial.
CosmoFeminism
CosmoFeminism
Presented as part of the art festival "48h Neukölln" 2019 at the former Fortuna Wetten GmbH. Curatorial concept: Marlena von Wedel.
The Eight Views of Taiwan
The Eight Views of Taiwan
- From Forming the Scenic Spots to Actualizing an Imagined Geography.
Release MZIN Leipzig, 2019. Curated by Ting Tsou.
Publication „– Diplomarbeiten der Abteilung Fotografie“
Publication „– Diplomarbeiten der Abteilung Fotografie“
curated by Sabine Schmid, 2017
TRUE POLITICS
TRUE POLITICS
Video Art Exhibition curated by Sebastian Gebeler, 07. bis 09. April 2017, Schaubühne Lindenfels, Leipzig. Works by Mario Pfeifer, Omer Fast, Harald Hund, Lawrence Lek, Selma Doborac, Larissa Sansour & Søren Lind, Stephanie Comilang, Warren Neidich, Oraib Toukan
Performing Relationships
Performing Relationships
KV Leipzig, 2017, curated by Krisztina Hunya + Daniel Niggemann. Photo: dotgain.info, work by YES! Association/Föreningen JA!
Die Koralle
Die Koralle
A Diplomatic Intervention. Magazine & intervention in public space, 2017. Curated by Merle Heinrich und Anaïs Roesch
ON VIEW
ON VIEW
- interferences of digital and physical re-/presentations. Online exhibition and subsequent transformation into Kunstverein Leipzig, 2015. Curated by A.R. practice (Ann Richter and Agnieszka Roguski).
Pearls, cups and tigers. An object performance
Pearls, cups and tigers. An object performance
The smallest gallery – collaboration space Graz, Kunsthalle im Lipsiusbau, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 2015, concept: Veza María Fernández + Johanna Rainer
Hat Heimat einen Plural?
Hat Heimat einen Plural?
Installation view Doma, Deutsches Literaturinstitut Leipzig, 2013, curated by Katharina Schniebs
MISH MASH ME
MISH MASH ME
GfZK Leipzig, 2011, curated by Luc-Carolin Ziemann
Field Trips
Lower Saxony & North Rhine-Westphalia, 2021
Lower Saxony & North Rhine-Westphalia, 2021
Hanover, Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Essen, Recklinghausen, Haltern am See, Osnabrück
In cooperation with: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Saxony 2020
Saxony 2020
Wurzen, Döbeln, Grimma, Käbschütztal, Hoyerswerda, Bautzen, Herrenhut, Chemnitz, Plauen, Zwickau, Leipzig-Grünau
In cooperation with: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Brazil 2019
Brazil 2019
Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo.
In cooperation with: Goethe Institute Rio de Janeiro
India 2017
India 2017
New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta.
In cooperation with: Goethe Institute Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi & Goethe Institute Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai
Istanbul, Turkey. 2014
Istanbul, Turkey. 2014
Cairo, Egypt. 2010
Cairo, Egypt. 2010
Vilnius, Lithuania. 2011
Vilnius, Lithuania. 2011
India 2013
India 2013
New Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi.
In cooperation with: Goethe Institute Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi & Goethe Institute Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai