Dear Colleagues
The Department of Culture, Media and Creative Industries at King's College London has the pleasure of hosting a research seminar on Wednesday 20th March
From Curating to Cryating and Back Again: Behind the Scenes of a Socially-engaged Curatorial Project
Speaker: Dr Wendy Gers
Date & Time: Wednesday 20th March, 17.00-18.30
Venue: G.01 Norfolk Building (Enter King’s Via reception on the Strand)
Registration: Places are limited and require registration at :
Attendees should go the main King's College Entrance on the Strand by 16.50 when they will be picked up and taken to the venue, G.01 in the Norfolk Building.
Abstract: What really happens behind the scenes in large socially-engaged curatorial projects? How do curators manage high levels of stress and trauma that a group of artists
(and themselves) may experience? This lecture reflects upon my practice as an independent international curator. Post-colonialism? a socially-engaged residency and exhibition project which I directed in Israel at the end of
2016, is used as a case study to explore the intersection of professional taboos, display rules and affective labour that were integral to this project. Post-colonialism? was a courageous, critically acclaimed project that united Israeli, Palestinian
and international artists to collectively 'speak out' about the ongoing regime of settler colonialism and genocide. It was set in a context of escalating tensions, and a spate of urban and rural wildfires that engulfed Israel for a period of 8 days in late
November 2016. It is argued that the project offers unique insights into social, intellectual and affective labour dynamics at the heart of socially-engaged curatorial enterprises. Whilst much of the challenges were specific to the particular context where
the project took place, these insights are significant for developing nuanced and appropriate understandings of the professional context of socially-engaged curating. Recommendations for the training of the next generation of curators are also put forward.
Bio: Wendy Gers is a London-based independent curator and scholar specialised in modern and contemporary ceramic art and design. She is also a Research Associate at the
University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Gers has curated major exhibitions on 3 continents including Biennales in China and Taiwan. Her curatorial leadership was celebrated by the City Press’s inclusion of Gers in its list of 100 ‘World-Class South Africans’
(2014). She has authored numerous catalogues, book chapters and scholarly articles, including the acclaimed monograph on Southern African potteries, Scorched Earth (Jacana Media, 2016). In the past 6 years Wendy has delivered over 60 public lectures
and keynote addresses in 20 countries. Between 2015-2018 she was Academic Director of the research laboratory, La Céramique Comme Experience (CCE), at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Art, Limoges.
Jeanette Steemers
Professor of Culture, Media &
Creative Industries
King’s College London
Strand Campus
London WC2R 2LS