OPEN CALL!
The Palais de Tokyo is commited to young curators!
"Dedicated to the emergence of the newest forms of contemporary art as it is, the Palais de Tokyo sees participating in the renewal of the ecosystem of art as part of its remit."
(This is a real quote and not my translation.)
(This is a real quote and not my translation.)
The Palais de Tokyo is issuing an open call - with exclamation marks- for young curators to take over their programming in the summer of 2013.
I don’t care so much for young; expect maybe for my tights and skin. And for some potatoes that I actually do prefer young. But why would young be good in art and theory?
I personally like it when it's surprising, odd, funny, comical, witty, amusing, entertaining, enjoyable, intelligent, risky, violent, dangerous (except for children of course), compromising, uncompromising, bright, smart, weird, complex, demanding, singular, daring, sexy, extravagant, refined, rare, excessive, clever, new... Got my point? Young does not appear to me to be that interesting in art. Unless maybe it's really young... but I doubt it could the case here...
Here, it’s not about young curating it's about the age of the candidate. Young for a curator who wants to respond to the Palais' call is under forty. For Deezer, it's 12-25. They have a special best off the 12-25 category in music... hum must be really good. In France you have the mobile phone company SFR young talent competition and the old Credit Agricole bank offering a scheme to help you with your project with a range of products adapted to young people. If you're over 26, there's the railway Escapades card.
The Palais de Tokyo had to show they're making an effort, a gesture towards young people.
Someone suggested to me that this meetic form of age discrimination might not be legal, but I cannot be bothered to seriously inquire into that matter. It might well fall under positive discrimination, when I must say, curators working in institutions in France are not particularly old.
"The Palais de Tokyo will bring together a jury consisting of seven curators from its team, its President, Jean de Loisy, and several suitably qualified notabilities"
No, this is not on Kazakhstan's television, and by "notabilities", they actually mean big names, (or semi-big names), sort of celebrities from the art world... like a few collectors and maybe a gallerist. It all depends on how much they pay them. And... no... you're one the site of "a cultural institution, entrusted with a public interest mission, (...) a place where today’s artists and public can explore the emergence of novel ways of doing, thinking and living."
Do I really need to comment?
If I were a young curator, I'd be seriously worried. Doesn't it read a bit like science fiction -without the fun and the creativity? Doesn't it sound like a joky and misleading advert? Are we talking DIY at B&Q here? Home improvement? Could it be an American plot, making it impossible for contemporary art to take off in France?
If they do "explore the emergence of completely new ways of thinking" at the Palais, it will be a big thing in the art world- I'm telling you, for I haven't heard of more radical aim in recent art discourse.
The Palais, (I'm quoting again) "with its unique personality promotes interaction between the creative output and the society of today."
For real.
This is from one of the most important contemporary art institution in France. I really don't know what to do with this sentence. Even in French, it's sort of childish. In fact it's just so stupid it's weird.
..."It invites the public and artists to share in the adventure of the emergence of new ways of behaving, new forms, new languages, new beauties."
Hum... This has probably been translated with Reverso - you'd think that with a budget of 12 million euros a year, they could afford to pay someone to translate their communication... And I have this awkward feeling this has been written by an intern -fresh out of a marketing school, giving us some cut and paste bullshit - having confused some cultural or not so cultural products with art. It's like reading Easy Living.
As for the emergence (French favourite term in art) of new languages, I must have missed something. I just didn't know about it.
I'm ashamed. I know it's stupid, it's not my responsibility, but it's what 's going in art where I live, in Paris. I'm ashamed and bored.
Please help.
"Selected on the basis of the proposals they submit the winners will bear witness to the perpetual reinvention of the issues involved in curating an exhibition, their scouting talent, and their ability to dream up new ways of relating to art."
This is just grotesque. Or maybe it's me. I've gone insane. I've lost it. Or maybe I am a dry cunt, like a not so young curator said after he read one of my newsletters.
I don’t care so much for young; expect maybe for my tights and skin. And for some potatoes that I actually do prefer young. But why would young be good in art and theory?
I personally like it when it's surprising, odd, funny, comical, witty, amusing, entertaining, enjoyable, intelligent, risky, violent, dangerous (except for children of course), compromising, uncompromising, bright, smart, weird, complex, demanding, singular, daring, sexy, extravagant, refined, rare, excessive, clever, new... Got my point? Young does not appear to me to be that interesting in art. Unless maybe it's really young... but I doubt it could the case here...
Here, it’s not about young curating it's about the age of the candidate. Young for a curator who wants to respond to the Palais' call is under forty. For Deezer, it's 12-25. They have a special best off the 12-25 category in music... hum must be really good. In France you have the mobile phone company SFR young talent competition and the old Credit Agricole bank offering a scheme to help you with your project with a range of products adapted to young people. If you're over 26, there's the railway Escapades card.
The Palais de Tokyo had to show they're making an effort, a gesture towards young people.
Someone suggested to me that this meetic form of age discrimination might not be legal, but I cannot be bothered to seriously inquire into that matter. It might well fall under positive discrimination, when I must say, curators working in institutions in France are not particularly old.
"The Palais de Tokyo will bring together a jury consisting of seven curators from its team, its President, Jean de Loisy, and several suitably qualified notabilities"
No, this is not on Kazakhstan's television, and by "notabilities", they actually mean big names, (or semi-big names), sort of celebrities from the art world... like a few collectors and maybe a gallerist. It all depends on how much they pay them. And... no... you're one the site of "a cultural institution, entrusted with a public interest mission, (...) a place where today’s artists and public can explore the emergence of novel ways of doing, thinking and living."
Do I really need to comment?
If I were a young curator, I'd be seriously worried. Doesn't it read a bit like science fiction -without the fun and the creativity? Doesn't it sound like a joky and misleading advert? Are we talking DIY at B&Q here? Home improvement? Could it be an American plot, making it impossible for contemporary art to take off in France?
If they do "explore the emergence of completely new ways of thinking" at the Palais, it will be a big thing in the art world- I'm telling you, for I haven't heard of more radical aim in recent art discourse.
The Palais, (I'm quoting again) "with its unique personality promotes interaction between the creative output and the society of today."
For real.
This is from one of the most important contemporary art institution in France. I really don't know what to do with this sentence. Even in French, it's sort of childish. In fact it's just so stupid it's weird.
..."It invites the public and artists to share in the adventure of the emergence of new ways of behaving, new forms, new languages, new beauties."
Hum... This has probably been translated with Reverso - you'd think that with a budget of 12 million euros a year, they could afford to pay someone to translate their communication... And I have this awkward feeling this has been written by an intern -fresh out of a marketing school, giving us some cut and paste bullshit - having confused some cultural or not so cultural products with art. It's like reading Easy Living.
As for the emergence (French favourite term in art) of new languages, I must have missed something. I just didn't know about it.
I'm ashamed. I know it's stupid, it's not my responsibility, but it's what 's going in art where I live, in Paris. I'm ashamed and bored.
Please help.
"Selected on the basis of the proposals they submit the winners will bear witness to the perpetual reinvention of the issues involved in curating an exhibition, their scouting talent, and their ability to dream up new ways of relating to art."
This is just grotesque. Or maybe it's me. I've gone insane. I've lost it. Or maybe I am a dry cunt, like a not so young curator said after he read one of my newsletters.
It's just not serious.
Or maybe we shall wait and see... maybe some scouting talents will emerge!
Let me just re-translate the last sentence of that last quote for you, it's easy: "imaginer de nouvelles formes du rapport à l’art.” = "imagine news forms in the way to relate to art." In the French text, it's clear it's one way...
What are we actually talking about here then?
That reminded me of Matthew Collings telling the curators of the exhibition "20 000 Mexicans can't be wrong" they could have asked a shaman to curate the show.
- Oh no, this was very seriously curated, they answered.
Let me just re-translate the last sentence of that last quote for you, it's easy: "imaginer de nouvelles formes du rapport à l’art.” = "imagine news forms in the way to relate to art." In the French text, it's clear it's one way...
What are we actually talking about here then?
That reminded me of Matthew Collings telling the curators of the exhibition "20 000 Mexicans can't be wrong" they could have asked a shaman to curate the show.
- Oh no, this was very seriously curated, they answered.
I just hope they won't come up with some audience participation shit like kids Fisher Price interaction (you know where you press a button and it does moooh mooh), or with socio-cultural categories, thus escaping serious political issues (like young artists from Arab origins- but not talking about religions... or women...) or cross-disciplinary shows like art and cinema... or worse: art and music.
But now, here's the important piece of information I kept for the end: "This event is likewise intended to demonstrate the dynamism of Paris and the surrounding area as part of a joint initiative involving a great many partners and institutions."
I'm not retranslating it from French but you will have understood that it means one should avoid chocking stuff. Only nice and easy installations. Nothing too violent. Nothing too bald. Let's be quiet. The young curators will have to reinvent exhibitions without disturbing the "partners" -which names are no given in the brief. They will have to create new relationships to art AND at the same time show Paris' and its suburb dynamism. Dynamism? Pff... Don't ask me.
I do admit: This is a seriously difficult exercise!
But now, here's the important piece of information I kept for the end: "This event is likewise intended to demonstrate the dynamism of Paris and the surrounding area as part of a joint initiative involving a great many partners and institutions."
I'm not retranslating it from French but you will have understood that it means one should avoid chocking stuff. Only nice and easy installations. Nothing too violent. Nothing too bald. Let's be quiet. The young curators will have to reinvent exhibitions without disturbing the "partners" -which names are no given in the brief. They will have to create new relationships to art AND at the same time show Paris' and its suburb dynamism. Dynamism? Pff... Don't ask me.
I do admit: This is a seriously difficult exercise!
SO GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL.
I'm not sure this next brilliant quote will add anything to it but "the selection will be made primarily on the basis of the inventiveness of the project, its curatorial boldness, and its relevance in the current field of creative work."
Let's say that if the inventiveness, the audacity and the relevance of the selected projects match the intelligence of this call, we're going see really good shows in Paris next summer.
Someone help me, please.
Do I really have to be thinking about art the way it is presented here by one of the most important institution in France? Should I forget about what I've learnt in terms of art history, art theory and practice? Should I adapt to that empty discourse? Should I accept it as the context of my research and practice? I'm going nuts. Please help.
On the other hand if you really want to come and work as a curator in Paris, there's another open call from an art centre in a poor suburb, politely called the surrounding area in the Palais' brief, in the "heart of the city of Montreuil" but there, you'll need to send a 5€ cheque with your proposal. (* in French only)
I'm not sure this next brilliant quote will add anything to it but "the selection will be made primarily on the basis of the inventiveness of the project, its curatorial boldness, and its relevance in the current field of creative work."
Let's say that if the inventiveness, the audacity and the relevance of the selected projects match the intelligence of this call, we're going see really good shows in Paris next summer.
Someone help me, please.
Do I really have to be thinking about art the way it is presented here by one of the most important institution in France? Should I forget about what I've learnt in terms of art history, art theory and practice? Should I adapt to that empty discourse? Should I accept it as the context of my research and practice? I'm going nuts. Please help.
On the other hand if you really want to come and work as a curator in Paris, there's another open call from an art centre in a poor suburb, politely called the surrounding area in the Palais' brief, in the "heart of the city of Montreuil" but there, you'll need to send a 5€ cheque with your proposal. (* in French only)
Sorry about all the English mistakes....
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