A fine red line: a curatorial miscellany – IMPress

Published by IMpress, London, 2008.

Edited by: Yannis Arvanitis, Ilaria Gianni, Nazli Gürlek, Isobel Harbison, Rosa Lleó and Gaia Tedone.

If contemporary art can be interpreted as a series of formal enquiries then perhaps contemporary curating might be understood as the formulation of questions which either frame or follow on from these enquiries. During a series of workshops on a curatorial programme in Goldsmiths, University of London, a number of ideas began to emerge. Here, a group of six people formed an editorial team, one that wished to stop, compress and then extend these ideas both to artists and peers whose practices seemed relevant and whose responses seemed unpredictable at this particular point in contemporary art (history). And so began, A fine red line. A Fine Red Line is a curatorial miscellany, acollection of visual and written contributions by a number of contemporary artists and emerging curators. The contributions correspond to nine questions formulated by the editors which define the sections of the book. These questions are short and potentially provocative, intending to accommodate different opinions, angles and practices. Just as no two artworks are the same, neither are these responses but it is hoped that their combination creates interesting chemistry, a new set of questions or course of enquiry. The title reflects both the editorial concept and content. Given the diverse perspectives and responsibilities of ‘the curator’, the fine line between both practical and theoretical concerns must surely be the only constant of this continually emerging creative practice. Accordingly, this ‘miscellany’ is categorically not intended as a curatorial guide, for how could one possibly exist?

As art and its parameters continue to develop and change, so to do all our fine lines and under these unsteady conditions, even the bravest cartographer would surely refuse to venture. The line is not only fine, but also red; ‘curating’, our word processors tell us, is a spelling mistake. This spelling mistake is our qualification. The growth of curating programmes in art colleges and associated institutions, is an interesting development, one which may encourage the independent practice to be increasingly supported as well as possibly having significant impact upon broader cultural production. Red now, but for how much longer?

With contributions by: Louisa Adam , Yannis Arvanitis, Carol Bove, Rosa Barba and David Maljkovic , Stephanie Bertrand, Haizea Barcenilla, Steven Claydon, Mary Cork, Mario Garcia Torres, Ilaria Gianni, Nazli Gurlek,  Rahila Haque , Isobel Harbison, Emily Jacir, Christine Kunze Takengny, Rosa Lleó, Guillaume Paris , Caterina Riva,  Alexandre Singh, Cally Spooner,  Stephanie Sykes, Raymond Taudin Chabot, Gaia Tedone, Jeffrey Vallance, Tarek Zaki and Marlena Kudlicka.

ISBN: 978-1-906424-05-3

Graphic designer: Iván Mato

London, 2008