Collaborative Curating: Democratising Inclusion

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the perceived failure of the second Johannesburg biennale, Trade Routes: History amd Geography, curated by Okwui Enwezor in 1997. Although curating can be used as a socio-critical tool, Enwezor's authorial curatorial model as witnessed in Trade Routes is criticised for being non-responsive towards issues the South African public was actively dealing with in 1997, which contributed to its perceived failure. As a seminal mega-exhibition in South Africa, I consider the influence Trade Routes may have had on subsequent South African curatorial practice and discuss whether Trade Routes may have acted as a catalyst for local curators to consider alternative curatorial methodologies. I argue that South Africa has witnessed a shift towards group, participatory, and community-driven curatorial approaches. I review Portia Malatjie's group curatorial strategy as evidenced in <dis/play>, exhibited in 2012, and the advantages obtained thereby. I discuss how group curatorial strategies subvert the inherited manner of conceptualising, theorising, and organising an exhibition and how this provides opportunities to democratise access and pluralise inclusion. I propose that post-apartheid curatorial practices require caution with regard to valuing one group or individual over another and that collaborative curatorial approaches may foster a method of continuous self-reflection and regulation.