Expanding Internationalism - A Conference on ... - Mary Jane Jacob

Discussion then returned to the notion of criteria and the hidden
agendas behind international exhibitions. Sokolowski stressed that a
crucial component, for him, of contemporary exhibitions is that they
should address the moment.
concerns, for example, AIDS.
They should define areas and issues of common
Too often, he noted, it seems more about
certain curators claiming that "they got there first," or the idea of
"discovering" new talent. He prefers "glamourous mistakes" to "safe
successes," since one can learn so much from them.
Cooke agreed, citing
also the Munster "Projekte" of site-specific projects, since it and
"Magiciens" established curatorial agendas which have to be reworked over
and over again from different perspectives.
In both these cases, there
was inevitably a Eurocentric perspective which has to be acknowledged.
Munjeri and Nittve also observed that a principal responsibility of
exhibition organizers is to reconcile how they will represent any given
theme, and to acknowledge their point of departure and their goals. The
now-fashionable stance of looking at non-occidental art is also, Nittve
pointed out, coming from a Eurocentric point of view.
All of sudden,
Europe and and the so-called Western world realize that they are no longer
at the center and are affected by cultures that are not occidental.
The discussion then turned to the question of defining who the
audience is for international exhibitions and whether it is limited to the
very small international art community.
Nittve asserted that it usually
is at least dual: the local community who is attracted to a "hot" show
and the itinerant, contenporary art tourists, who add to the glamour and
decide if it is a success or not. Cooke pointed out a third audience who
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