Call for Applications: The 4th Gwangju Biennale International Curator Course

Since its inception in 2009, the Gwangju Biennale International Curator Course has been aknowledged as  platform for open discussions on curatorial practices and theoretical discourses of contemporary art and the biennales’ strategic and aesthetic approaches.

In 2012, the 4th edition will present "Biennale as Social Media" as its principal subject. Recurring to workshops, discussions, lectures by the visiting professor and group study, participants will be given an understanding of what is or what can be considered a biennale in today's art world.
Visits to museums, galleries, and artists’ studios in Gwangju and Seoul will also be scheduled.


Special lectures will be led by the 9th Gwangju Biennale Co-Artistic Directors and the 5th Gwangju Design Biennale Artistic Director. Several renowned professionals will be invited as guest lecturers to discuss their vast experience in the field.

The number of biennales has multiplied since the 1990s  and although some are regarded as a reference by artists and galleries, others have emerged that may be considered as no more than blockbusters.
How the role of a biennale as a catalyst of emerging artists or the affirmation of seasoned ones, or its role as an incubator for experimental art practices and freedom of expression has evolved during these years, as well as it comunicates with the public as a form of cultural practice, are some of the topics on which lecturers and participants will focus.

Course participants will take part in the preparation of the 2012 Gwangju Biennale under the supervision of the Biennale’s co-artistic directors. The participants are asked to make a group presentation during the final week.

This course is designed to provide young curators with opportunities to receive in-depth training. Thus the age restriction has been set to 35 and under. The Gwangju Biennale will grant tuition and accommodations to all of the selected participants for the entire course in Gwangju, South Korea. Participants will be responsible for their round-trip airfares to and from Gwangju and living expenses during their stay.
The entire course will be conducted in English and will take place between August 13 and September 8, 2012.



- Application submission period: April 24 – May 15, 2012


- Application requirements

1. All documents should be written in English.

2. Application must include:
  -Application form (available for download at the bottom of notice)
  -CV (Curriculum Vitae)
  -Motivational statement explaining the applicant’s interests and the purpose for applying(1,000 words max.)
 -Supporting materials: One or two copies of the most relevant published materials for curatorial/ exhibition related projects that the applicant participated in.

3. Submitted documents and/or materials will not be returned.

- Submission process: Send by email (curatorcourse@gb.or.kr)

- Notification: Successful candidates will be contacted around mid-June, 2012

The 4th Gwangju Biennale International Curator Course is hosted by the Gwangju Biennale Foundation & Gwangju Metropolitan City.

Curatorial Studies Residency at Node Center Berlin

The Node Center Berlin, has announced The Curatorial Studies Residency Program for 2011, designed for emerging curators who may wish to expand their professional practice in Berlin.

Under the theme “The logic of the limit: transversal curatorial processes”, residents will develop specific theoretical-practical research, exploring curatorial practices that expand their own mechanisms beyond the normal “taxonomic” processes of the art exhibition (i.e., classification, study, and exhibition), generating new discursive possibilities.
Students are expected to take an active role in organizing the program (i.e., managing seminars, workshops, guest lectures, exhibitions, etc.).

Perceiving curatorship as exhibition praxis, this intensive twelve weeklong program will offer direct experimentation with the exhibition methods and processes, and will be complemented with activities such as workshops, seminars, meetings with cultural agents, art shows, and visits to exhibition spaces.

Applicants must hold an academic background in any of the following areas of contemporary art: curatorial studies, theory and philosophy of art, art history, art management, and/or art production; visual arts, fine arts, arts and new media; or equivalent work experience within an Institution, or with projects developed as an independent curator.

The application form must be submited by July 20th 2011, after which an online interview will take place with each applicant.
Tuition fees are as follow: one deposit of €670 by August 16th, and three monthly payments of €750.

English will be used as the working language in The Curatorial Studies Residency at Node Center Berlin, taking place from September 20th to December 16th, 2011.

Vessel International Curatorial Workshop 2011

Vessel, an independenent non-profit space inaugurated on April 14 and devoted to contemporary art, has announced an International Curatorial Workshop that will offer the opportunity to 14 young curators from around the world to work with internationally renowned curators, dealing with many challenging issues of theoretical and practical aspects of curatorial research.

Participants will be divided in groups and will work with different curators from Committee and with the staff to build particular projects on case studies.
The core of these case studies will be comprised of varying exercises dealing with secondary material concerning the curatorial practice in relation to the overarching exhibition made in a certain geographical area.

The course aims to raise awareness and reflect about the role of the curator, as well as promoting research projects in the filed of contemporary visual culture.
Other objectives include setting up working platforms that will enable participants to develop further curatorial works and expand the networking between young creators of the visual art scene, thus stimulating the international circulation of cultural projects.

Among several subjects, the 3-day intensive workshop will focus on the influence that the state of the world and social relations have in art and how the curator can use art to interact with society, emphasizing on the evolution of curating as a profession and its essential role in social and cultural redefinition.

The Vessel International Curatorial Workshop will take place between the 28th and 30th of May, 2011, and will be held by the Scientific Committee of Vessel composed of Charles Esche, Ilaria Gianni, Cecilia Guida, Denis Isaia, Viktor Misiano, Marco Petroni, Roberto Pinto along with the curators of the space Viviana Checchia and Anna Santomauro.

Interested applicants from any nationality may apply. No study certificate and academic degree required. The workshop will be delivered in English, for this reason at least an intermediate level of English is required.

Applications whould be sent by e-mail until May 15, 2011.
There's a €300 participating fee to cover all the expenses for meals and residency including a double-bed hotel room.

Make sure that you read the rest of the submission guidelines before submiting your application.

Vessel is located at Via Guido De Ruggiero n. 6, Bari.
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and Apulia (Puglia), Italy.