Defining Art History
Image source: https://londonvisitors.wordpress.com/ At the National Gallery in London this summer, there was a major exhibition called “Inventing Modern Art”. I love the title. For many, Modern Art is something pretty much recognized and established in most art history books …
Funding Funding
When cultural managers meet, one of the most common conversations topics is getting funding. Even if you have an excellent programme, you can do nothing if you don’t have adequate funding to make it a reality. If you are …
When Curation Fails
Curation is an essential part of cultural mediation. When the curation is unable to communicate properly, such mediation fails. This sounds simple, but if you look deeper into it, this ‘communication’ is extremely complex. What does this ’properly’ mean? How …
About Mediation
I have never liked the term ‘cultural management’, for culture does not need to be managed. ‘Managing’ culture implies some sorts of totalitarian control and manipulation of culture. When I first taught a course on curatorship at the Hong Kong …
Composing the Programme
After inaugurating the Museum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai in 2004, I quitted my job as its director. It marked a significant end of a long career in curation and museum management since 1988. I was exhausted and desperately needed …
