Part 1- Curatorial Activism Defined
Curatorial activism is about using exhibitions to challenge powerful narratives and bring attention to a variety of voices. It involves a huge effort to challenge and disrupt the known hierarchies of the art world. Dr. Maura Rielly states, “Curators have committed themselves to insurrectionist initiatives that are leveling hierarchies, challenging assumptions, countering erasure, promoting the margins over the center, the minority over the majority.” This means not just including diverse voices but actively rethinking who gets to define art history. Exhibitions can be activist as they can reveal the realities of power structures. “An exhibition that could show the universality of racist power structures, as One focusing on Bell most certainly would, seemed like the perfect follow-up. Besides, Bell's protest work has tremendous cross-cultural relevance.”
An exhibition centered on Richard Bell’s work can highlight that using art to emphasize these issues. Bell’s critique, “ ‘Aboriginal Art – It’s a White Thing,’” calls attention to how Indigenous art has been shaped by white narratives. To improve art and its history there has to be a creation of accurate representation. Meaning that the diverse cultures, perspectives, and narratives all have to be accurate and well represented. “Curatorial corrections to the exclusion of Other artists from either the master narratives of art history.” This means we have to include artists that are silenced and are given the opportunity to create their own narratives from their point of views. These curators can challenge past and current hierarchies as it can provide an added layer to the understanding of art history.
In This is What I Know About Art, Kimberly Drew’s experiences connect strongly to the idea of curatorial activism. Curatorial activism is about using exhibitions and art spaces to shed light on the voices who are unheard and to actively rethink who gets represented in art. When Drew highlights that “of the 103 artists selected for the exhibition that year, only nine were Black,” it shows the limited representation of Black artists in art spaces. This realization motivated her to advocate to actively promote the work of Black artists. Her advocacy is a form of curatorial activism that seeks to push back against the traditional black history in the art world that has prioritized white voices. Drew’s work shows how curatorial activism can be a powerful tool for social change. She encourages curators to intentionally seek out and showcase diverse artists. This activism goes beyond simply adding diversity and also it’s about ensuring that the stories of Black artists are valued. By curating art in this way, Drew and others committed to curatorial activism bring visibility to artists who have often been overlooked. Her approach wants people to not only appreciate art but also to think critically about whose work and stories have been missing. Through curatorial activism, Drew makes art a space for everyone that emphasizes that true representation in the art world means making sure all voices are heard.
Part 2 - Art Example
Juan Giraldo, Luis’ Arm with Flag (2014)
Juan Giraldo is an immigrant photographer who is currently living in Brooklyn, NY. He was born in Manizales Colombia but was raised in Paterson, New Jersey. One of the art pieces I decided to write about was Juan Giraldo’s photograph of a man holding a foreign flag. His work acts as activism because it shows the representation of an immigrant holding on to their home grown culture and how it sticks with them. Even though they are on new foreign land, their heritage will forever be embedded in them no matter what. As an immigrant photographer, Giraldo had to go through an experience that any other immigrant chasing the American Dream did. As he stated, it wasn’t easy for him because he thought he would get instant opportunities. What he is driven to do with his photography is to make sure the immigrants who have worked hard into chasing the American Dream get their well deserved acknowledgment. Laboring immigrants who work long demanding hours and work with little to no resources/help dedicate their lives in supporting their families and just for their hard work to be silenced. He decides to dedicate his work for the immigrants who can’t use their voices to tell their unique stories. His art may be simple but it speaks for millions of immigrant families just like mine. This representation serves as activism by giving visibility to immigrants, whose identities are often overlooked, and showing how immigrant heritage is deeply connected to American identity.
Dakota Santiago, Working Class New York Series
(2015)
Dakota Santiago is a photographer from New York. Santiago graduated from NJCU in 2016. He documents photos of the urban life of laboring workers who don’t get the credit they deserve. Santiago tends to focus on the landscape of the harsh living conditions of tenants in New York City. Dakota Santiago was inspired by Doretha Lange’s depression era photography. This is what led him to start his project “the men and women no one sees but everyone needs.” At the time of his project, he managed to take photographs of documented workers while they were on duty. There are workers who are committed to trying to improve their craft and labor hard working jobs. Santiago visited factories and industrial sites in Queens and Brooklyn, in which he made sure to get photographs of workers at their jobs. The goal for him was to make sure to capture the faces of the workers whose labor goes unnoticed. He wants to make everybody who looks at his work acknowledge the fact that those workers are who we depend on and very much need in our society today. In doing so, Santiago’s photography acts as activism, challenging the invisibility of these workers and urging society to re-evaluate and honor the dignity of labor. His photographs highlight not just the faces of the workers but the gritty environments they inhabit, capturing the reality of long hours, physical strain, and resilience. Without those workers, it is hard to believe that our society would function without them, as we need to depend on them for our essential services.
Works Cited
Drew, Kimberly. This is What I Know About Art. 2020.
Rielly, Maura. "What is Curatorial Activism?." Art News. Accessed (10/29/24).
Rielly, Maura. "Towards a Curatorial Activism https://www.maurareilly.com/pdf/essays/CIAFessay.pdf. Accessed (10/29/24)
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