The 1st Shanghai Curators Lab (SCL) launched the opening ceremony

The first edition of Shanghai Curators Lab (SCL) officially launched at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts (SAFA)  9:30 a.m. on November 5th. As the lead professors, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the Director of the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Yongwoo Lee, the professor of SAFA at Shanghai University, and Wang Dawei, the Executive Dean of SAFA have attended onsite. With 22 SCL curators, they were gathering together to witness the opening ceremony of SCL.

Shanghai Curators Lab (SCL) is an intensive and challenging residence program for young curators hosted by SAFA, organized by Shanghai International Art City (SIAC) Research Institute, and in collaboration with Shanghai Biennale (hosted by Power Station of Art). The SCL aims to be an open forum for experimental, critical and discursive discussion on the ecology of curatorial practices and intercultural platforms in the period of radical transformation of the social framework.

Professor Yongwoo Lee shook hands with President Wang Dawei

SCL curators expressing their anticipation and enthusiasm for the project

Driven by SAFA and BAOWU Group, Shanghai International Art City (SIAC) research institute serves for the construction of 2035 Shanghai city sub-center under the background of the overall transformation of Shanghai Wusong industrial zone. Wang Dawei, the Executive Dean of SAFA gave the opening speech to introduce SCL, hoping it could take advantages of the early stage of SIAC to provide younger talents a space of boundless imagination, as well as a platform and an experimental field to demonstrate intelligence and to realize their ideas. This first edition of SCL will continuously develop and expand for the future of Shanghai and all the curators will bring endless vitality.

Opening speech by Wang Dawei, Executive Dean of SAFA

Program Manager Chen Zhigang hosted the opening ceremony

The lead professor Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev will hold four different lectures and four discussions with curators. She emphasized the importance of art and pointed out that the definition of art is vague, but curators have the knowledge and appreciation to distinguish the qualities of artworks. Here, “Lab” actually offers a global platform to exchange ideas and brainstorming, and she hopes to learn more from these young curators. At the same time, she announced an exciting news that she was recently awarded the Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence, 2019, issued by the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. This award is regarded as the “Pritzker Architecture Prize” in curatorial field, which is designed to reward curatorial innovation and achievement.

Lead lecturer Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev made a speech

The lead professor, Yongwoo Lee gave a warm welcome to all. The 22 SCL curators have individually presented themselves, with infinite expectations for this project.

Lead lecturer Yongwoo Lee made a speech

During a variety of lectures, studio visits, biennial experiment, art fairs and cultural investigations, curators with multicultural backgrounds will create unlimited curatorial sparks. Looking forward to their growths and the opening of the group curating exhibition and event from the first edition of SCL.

Lead Lecturer and executive dean of SAFA opened chanpagne

Group photo

22 international curators gathering

at the Shanghai Curators Lab (SCL)

Since the open call for applications, Shanghai Curators Lab has attracted 168 candidates from over 28 countries (around 50 regions), including the United States, UK, Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Canada, Australia, China, etc. Most of the candidates are in art related industries, including gallery and museum curators, independent artists and art academy students. Through the comprehensive inspection and evaluation by lead professors and the representative from the collaborative partner, 22 candidates with an average age of 28 from more than 10 countries including China, UK, Germany, France, Australia, etc. were selected as the participating curators for the 1st SCL.

The name list of SCL curators as below ( in alphabetical order )

Olivia Aherne（UK） Paulina Ascencio（Mexico） Celina Basra（Germany） Canan Batur（Turkey） Anais Castro（Portugal） Jiaying Chen（China） Giulia Colletti（Italy） Kate Davis（Australia） Cecilia Giurgevich（Italy） Thomas Laval（France） Rosanna Lee（UK） Margarita Leonenko（White Russia） Luyao Li（China） Yasemin Keskintepe（Germany） John Kenneth Paranada（Philippines） Thomas Patier（France ） Ana Salazar（Portuga l） Tiange Yang（China） Wilson Yeung Chun-wai （Hong Kong, China ） Seda Yildiz（Turkey） Viola Yip（Hong Kong, China） Rafi Zarmina（Canada）

27 guest lecturers being invited to

the Shanghai Curators Lab (SCL)

Apart from the lead professors Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, the Director of the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, and Yongwoo Lee, professor of SAFA at Shanghai University, other 27 well-known guest lecturers from the art circle were invited to this project. They have provided a good opportunity for curators to communicate with experts from various interdisciplinary fields. The SCL has designed 9 on-site visits and communications, including: The 12th Shanghai Biennale; The 5th West Bund Art& Design; Artist Liu Jianhua’s Studio; ShanghART Gallery (Taopu Space); Zhujiajiao Town; Artist Ding Yi’s Studio; Qiao Space and Tank Shanghai; Wuzhen and Shanghai International Art City (formerly BAOWU Group). Curators will explore the enormous potential of curatorial expansion within different lectures and field trips.

The list of lecturers is as follows （in no particular order）

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev:  Director of the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art

 

Yongwoo Lee:  Professor at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts (SAFA) and artistic director of SIAC (Shanghai International Art City) Research Institute

Li Naihan:  Architects and artist

Cuauhtémoc Medina:  Chief curator of 12th Shanghai Biennale

Shi Hantao:  General coordination of the project of the 2018 12th Shanghai Biennale

Liu Jianhua:  Artist

Hans Ulrich Obrist:  Artistic Director of the Serpentine Galleries London

Carol Yinghua Lu:  Director of Beijing Inside-out Art Museum

Aric Chan：  Curator-at-Large for M+

Sunjung Kim：  President of Gwangju Biennale Foundation

Yu Ding:  Dean of the School of Arts Administration and Education

Zhang Haimeng:  The head of McKinsy’s Asia Pacific organization

Gong Yan:   Director of Power Station of Art Larys Frogier, Director of the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai

Wiyu Wahono:  Art art collectors in Jakarta, Indonesia

Karen Smith:  Director of OCAT Xi’an

Li Xiangning:   Deputy Dean of CAUPTJU (College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University)

Biljana Ciric:  Independent curator

Ding Yi:   Artist

Wang Dawei:  Executive Dean of SAFA

Gao Shiming:  Vice President of China Academy of Art

Katie de Tilly:   Founding member and President Emeritus of the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association

Claire Hsu:  Co-founder and Executive Director of Asia Art Archive

Akira Tatehata:  President of Tama Art University. Tokyo Director of Yayoi Jusama Museum, Tokyo

Danny YUNG:  Co-Artistic Director of Zuni Icosahedron

Lecture and discussion