Recalling such landmark works of cultural criticism as Tom Wolfe's The Painted Word and John Berger's Ways of Seeing, Balzer asks whether curationism has finally reached its own limits, where its widespread success has paradoxically led to its own demise. /rebates/2f97807453359712fCurationism-07453359772fplp&. Everyone, it seems, is now a curator.īut what is a curator, exactly? And what does the explosive popularity of curating say about our culture's relationship with taste, labour and the avant-garde? In this vibrant book, David Balzer travels through art history to explore the cult of curation, where it began, how it came to dominate museums and galleries, and how it emerged at the turn of the millennium as a dominant mode of thinking and being. At the same time, curatorial-studies programs continue to grow, and businesses are adopting curation as a means of adding value to content. Free Online Library: David Balzers Curationism: How Curating Took Over the Art World and Everything Else to be published by Pluto Press. Inside the art world, the curator reigns supreme, acting as the face of high-profile group shows in a way that can eclipse the contributions of individual artists.

'Curate' has become a buzzword, applied to everything from music festivals to artisanal cheese. In this incisive and original study, critic David Balzer travels through art history and around the globe to explore the cult of curation where it began, how. Balzer was born in Winnipeg and currently resides in Toronto, where he makes a living as a critic, editor and teacher. Now that we 'curate' even lunch, what happens to the role of the connoisseur in contemporary culture? David Balzer has contributed to publications including The Believer, Modern Painters, ARTnews, and Capital New York, and is the author of Contrivances, a short-fiction collection. Inside the art world, the curator reigns supreme, acting as the face of high-profile group shows and biennials in a way that can eclipse and assimilate the contributions of individual artists. *Winner of the ICA Book of the Year, 2015* 'Curate' is now a buzzword applied to everything from music festivals to artisanal cheese.

Curationism by David Balzer