Cultures of the Curatorial

The background to the study program Cultures of the Curatorial is the observation that in the course of the 20th century in the arts and sciences specific modes of practices, formats and aesthetics have developed, which can be subsumed by the term "curatorial". Accordingly theory and practice are treated as mutually intertwined in the program: In seminars, workshops, lectures and field trips staff and participants address the historical and current relations, conditions and potentials the curatorial has developed as an independent cultural practice. In addition in two curatorial projects the participants will develop their own statements in relation to the current challenges and possibilities of the curatorial. What is the relevance of the curatorial within the cultural field under the conditions of globalisation? How do processes, strategies and effects of the curatorial relate to those of art and science? Where could common grounds or perspectives of reciprocal exchange be located? What kind of specificities does the curatorial adopt in the different arts and which forms does it assume in different cultures? Which functions does the curatorial take on in the respective aesthetic, social or economic contexts? Questions such as these are at the centre of the program Cultures of the Curatorial. The four semester program involves a team of staff members of the Academy of Fine Arts (HGB) and international guests from the fields of art, academic disciplines and curatorial practice. Cultures of the Curatorial is a part-time MA program.