‘The art of curating is not simply finding a theme, putting artworks onto walls, then opening an exhibition for all to see. It is a process of administering, creating and interpreting…Curators are also professional “editors” with two jobs: first, to deconstruct exhibitions, art, aesthetics and even authority, continuously challenging conventional views and finding new perspectives; second, to reinvent arrangements and reinterpret artworks from a wider context of aesthetics, history, society and politics.’ (Oscar Ho 2016)

In this seminar, Prof. Oscar Ho will focus his discussion on the curatorial interpretation of exhibitions and the extraneous condition that affects it. Through an autobiographical lens, and by revisiting some of his seminal shows, he will reflect on his career as a curator since the 1980s, offering insights into the social and cultural forces shaping his curatorial practice. His sharing will illuminate the tendencies in curating as responses to contemporary conditions, and provide a threshold for us to think through: what distinctive is about contemporary curatorial thought in the context of Hong Kong? After the presentation, independent curator Jeff Leung will offer responses based on Oscar’s work on art curating in Hong Kong.