I can’t believe it, that in only 2 days, I have to hand in my final MA dissertation.
And if I now look back to all the older posts about MA proposals, ugh, how far I’ve come.
But, is my topic actually that much different from the subjects I was exploring before?
Here is my abstract, do join me in a discussion.
My dissertation analyses an open call model, which is a common way of producing exhibitions in today’s art world. An art institution sends out an open call with or without a theme, to which various artists respond. Then a process of selection commences, choosing the artworks that will produce a final exhibition. It is generally open for every artist, professional or ‘amateur’, who wants to show his or her work to the wider public. However, open exhibitions raise several issues, including why discussing open calls generates assumptions about the lack of curator’s knowledge and concerns relating to favouritism. Are these preconceptions responsible for creating a gap between the actual practice and the lack of literature on the subject? Talking to art professionals showed that open call exhibitions are a significant part of the art world and deserve a thorough discussion, which could possibly give higher acclaim to this recurrent model and adjust the rules through stronger regulations.
Key words: open call, open exhibition, curatorial practice, curatorial bias, typology of exhibitions, selection process
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