I’ve been involved in the processes of exhibition production and art gallery opening preparations

Selecting works, thinking about construction and creating spaces where viewers can talk with one another

Stated simply, the work of a curator is to create exhibitions. Curator selects artists and works, thinks about what kind of displays will allow the exhibition’s theme or story or the ideas of the artists to be communicated, and works to create a dialog with the audience. I think that the main task of a curator is to create spaces that will pose challenging questions to the audience about what kinds of meanings the exhibited works bring to our age and society, and where audience can also talk with one another.

I believe that not only fieldwork for the selection of works but learning about current social conditions and having a broad perspective on the world are essential for exhibition production—not just getting information from the news, but also adopting a way of thinking in one’s everyday lifestyle that is based on awareness of these issues. Because artists are living in this age as well, they are able to give life to works of art reflecting the issues which lie beneath the surface of the changes happening in the world today and our way of life. I intend to discuss such works with artists, while developing the story of these exhibitions in ever greater depth.

“Trace Elements: spirit and memory in Japanese and Australian photomedia” 2008　 Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery　Photo: Keizo Kioku　Courtesy: Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery

My experiences in Australia, where contemporary art is at the heart of people’s lifestyles

I carried out curatorial work as a visiting curator at the Australian Centre for Asia Pacific Art (ACAPA) for two years from 2009 with the support of a grant from the Agency for Cultural Affairs. My aim was to undertake investigative research into the transitions that have taken place in the context of the last six occasions of the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT), hosted by the Center. The APT has been held since 1993 with the aim of contributing to the creation of an Australian cultural identity in which a diverse range of people can co-exist, including indigenous peoples and immigrants. With contemporary art becoming a familiar part of the local citizens’ lives in recent times, I wanted to learn more about the social role of contemporary art, the value of their existence and the process by which they have penetrated their society. Part of my work involved the creation of collection proposals which are used when creating collections of works. These not only verify whether purchase prices are reasonable or not, but also create relative value scales which assess the position to be accorded to an artist by comparing him or her with other artists in history and with artists worldwide who currently enjoy high evaluations. My image was that such work is akin to creating an entirely new map, and then updating it.

Advice to those hoping to become curators

With art-related work, I believe that it is possible to work in ways which do not involve a binary choice of whether or not to be affiliated with an organization. In my case, I built up a track record in a single place, discovered from this what I wanted to learn about, and then started working in that area; I think it’s fine to try out all sorts of things until you determine what you are oriented towards, and there is no single way of doing things. Then there is the question of where you will be giving your own abilities back to—to your local society, Japan, or the world at large? I think it’s important to do things that look likely to be productive even if they are unprecedented, by attempting to negotiate and so on.

(Left) “The 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT6)” 2009 (Right)Work by Subodh Gupta Photo: Natasha Harth　Courtesy: Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane