Destabilising 20th-century art histories through curatorial practices

Held on the occasion of the exhibition The Imaginary Institution of India : Art 1975-1998 (Barbican, London) and organised in collaboration with the Barbican, this panel discussion opens onto comparative frameworks outside South Asia and asks how curatorial practices can destabilise the established art histories we inherit. Among these, it will critically interrogate the limits of conventional terminologies and periodisation when applied to areas previously deemed marginal. Going further, it will look at the ways artists relate to socio-political upheavals of their specific contexts, while paying close attention to the overlap between international, regional and national politics, as well as imaginaries and networks. How can these dynamics be captured in exhibitions and other display formats?
A didactic, explanatory logic has often guided exhibitions of artworks presented outside their countries of making. In contrast, the speakers on this panel have sought to move beyond any reductive intent. They have been involved in ambitious curatorial projects that make their research on specific art scenes, media and networks not only visible but accessible to audiences outside their places of production. What are the challenges involved in this process? How can the work of individual artists be illuminated and critically apprehended? And, in doing so, how do curatorial practices contribute to the unmaking of art historical conventions? These are some of the questions that the panel addressed.
For more information on the exhibition ‘The Imaginary Institution of India : Art 1975-1998 (Barbican, London), please see: www.barbican.o...
Organised by Dr Devika Singh, Senior Lecturer in Curating, The Courtauld, and Dr Shanay Jhaveri, Head of Visual Arts, Barbican.