Curationism: How Curating Took Over the Art World and Everything Else (Exploded Views) - Softcover

Balzer, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1552452999 ISBN 13: 9781552452998

Publisher: Coach House Books, 2014

Synopsis

Now that we curate even lunch, what happens to the role of the connoisseur in contemporary culture? Curate is now a buzzword, applied to everything from music festivals to artisanal cheese. Inside the art world, the curator reigns supreme, acting as the face of high-profile group shows and biennials in a way that can eclipse and assimilate the contributions of individual artists. Curatorial-studies programs continue to grow, and the business world is adopting curation as a means of adding value to content. Everyone, it seems, is a curator. But what is a curator, exactly? And what does the explosive popularity of curating say about our culture s relationship with taste, labour and the avant-garde? In this vibrant, revelatory and original study, David Balzer travels through art history and around the globe to explore the cult of curation, from superstar curator Hans Ulrich Obrist s war with sleep to Subway s sandwich artists. Recalling such landmark works of cultural criticism as Tom Wolfe s "The Painted Word" and John Berger s "Ways of Seeing," "Curationism" will change the way you look at art and maybe even the way you see yourself. This is an unusual art book. It is a book you should read and one that you can. Balzer traces the history and current hegemony of curationism, a practice of jumped-up interior decorators who double as priests explaining the gospel to the unlettered masses. A good read, if you don t mind reading things that you don t want to know. Dave Hickey David Balzer has contributed to publications including the "Believer, Modern Painters," Artforum.com, and "The Globe and Mail," and is the author of "Contrivances," a short-fiction collection. He is currently Associate Editor at "Canadian Art" magazine. Balzer was born in Winnipeg and currently resides in Toronto, where he makes a living as a critic, editor and teacher."

About this title

Review:

'Curationism is increasingly persuasive as it nears the present. The best sections concern the rise of conceptual art from the 1950s onwards, the rise of international high finance, and the merging of the two...' (Spectator)

'Point[s] out how far we have come from the original avatars of the term: the curatores...' (Hal Foster, London Review of Books)

'An unusual art book. It is a book you should read. Balzer traces the history and current hegemony of curationism―a practice of jumped-up interior decorators who double as priests explaining the gospel to the unlettered masses. A good read, if you don’t mind reading things that you don’t want to know.' (Dave Hickey, art and culture critic)

An insightful, provocative and entertaining overview of many of the key issues in both art and cultural life today. (Art Review)

Balzer writes with zest, scepticism and sly humour as he tracks the rise of the "star curator" as marking the end of any possible avant-garde. Curationism is a memorable exploration that will change how you see so many daily activities. I loved this brilliant book. (Sheila Heti, author of How Should a Person Be?)

'A polemical and art-insider-ish account of what curators do and why not everyone is one.' (Monocle Magazine)

Lucid... a fast but deep account of the rise of the curator through the art world into popular culture. (The Globe and Mail)

'Game-changing' (moMus)

Best Art Books of the Year (Sky Goodden, National Post)

Curationism is the kind of book I crave... It is a beautiful, useful, and timely book. (Scrivener Creative Review)

About the Author:

David Balzer is a Toronto-based writer, editor, and teacher. He has contributed to The Believer, Modern Painters, Artforum.com, The Globe and Mail and others, and is the author of Contrivances, a short-fiction collection. He is currently Associate Editor at Canadian Art magazine.

About this edition

• Publisher: Coach House Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1552452999
• ISBN 13: 9781552452998
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144