Online Lecture #4
Curation as Intervention
The fourth contribution to the online lecture series centered the concept of 'Curation as Intervention,' investigating whether curation always provides a form of intervention or whether a more conscious, targeted intervention is necessary in order to negotiate and overcome existing power structures. The lecture illuminated diverse perspectives and approaches to curatorial work, demonstrating both what transformative practices can look like, as well as the reality that not all curation represents intervention.
The discussion included four prominent figures from the literary, art, and activist communities: Alina Buchberger, curator at Kampnagel Hamburg; author and curator Pajam Masoumi; author, moderator, artist, and curator Fatima Khan; and writer and activist Sharon Dodua Otoo. These contributors brought together their experiences with projects such as 'Kritikables Queertett' [The Critiquable Queertet], the 'Performative Buchmesse' [Performative Book Fair] in Hamburg, the 'Konferenz zur Kanonzerstörung' [Breaking the Canon], the feminist literary festival 'q[lit]*clgn,' and the Black literary festival 'Resonanzen' [Resonances]. Each of these projects provided examples of the courageous, creative interventions currently working to counter exclusionary mechanisms in the literature and culture industries.
Central to the panel’s discussion was an examination of the current German literary canon. Speakers offered reflections on how to interrogate these structures more deliberately and expand them through novel approaches. Sharon Dodua Otoo asked: “For whom was the canon made and for whom (be it consciously or unconsciously) was it not made?” Alina Buchberger spoke about transforming the traditional bookfair format through performative, interactive spaces that enable a more critical and inclusive literary exchange. Fatima Khan described how the festival 'q[lit]*clgn' evolved out of a deep sense of frustration: There was no preexisting stage for diverse literary voices and perspectives. An attempt to draw inspiration from deficiency and absence provided a narrative link between the participants’ many projects.
Another central topic of discussion was the responsibility of curators. Sharon Dodua Otoo emphasized that curation cannot remain merely an artistic practice: It must become an act of care work, as well. She spoke about how curators need to become more actively engaged with the people and topics they center in their curatorial work. The creation of safe spaces and networks that empower marginalized voices becomes critical, especially in times of rightward social and political shifts. The concept of 'Curation as Care' provides a testament to more conscious, critical approaches capable of transforming both art and wider society.
The discussion also demonstrated the value of collaboration between literary scholarship, activism, and the literary scene. Fatima Khan and Sharon Dodua Otoo spoke about the significance of interdisciplinarity and the importance of bringing different perspectives into dialog with one another. Their discussion drew attention to the relevance of supporting not only established authors, but also making audible the voices of those who have been excluded from traditional literary structures. As such, Hamburg’s 'Performative Buchmesse' offers one particularly powerful example, presenting not only literary content, but also creating innovative spaces and formats for exchange, community, and new aesthetic forms.
Above all, this event made clear that curation can be far more than a process of selection and presentation. It can—and should—provide an intervention into existing structures. It requires both courage and steadfast engagement to interrogate power relations and employ literature as a medium for transformation. But whether through alternative presentation formats, targeted selection processes, or interdisciplinary approaches, our presenters’ work demonstrates how curation can bring about such change.
The event was co-hosted by Kampnagel – Internationales Zentrum für Schönere Künste.
Central to the panel’s discussion was an examination of the current German literary canon. Speakers offered reflections on how to interrogate these structures more deliberately and expand them through novel approaches. Sharon Dodua Otoo asked: “For whom was the canon made and for whom (be it consciously or unconsciously) was it not made?” Alina Buchberger spoke about transforming the traditional bookfair format through performative, interactive spaces that enable a more critical and inclusive literary exchange. Fatima Khan described how the festival 'q[lit]*clgn' evolved out of a deep sense of frustration: There was no preexisting stage for diverse literary voices and perspectives. An attempt to draw inspiration from deficiency and absence provided a narrative link between the participants’ many projects.
Another central topic of discussion was the responsibility of curators. Sharon Dodua Otoo emphasized that curation cannot remain merely an artistic practice: It must become an act of care work, as well. She spoke about how curators need to become more actively engaged with the people and topics they center in their curatorial work. The creation of safe spaces and networks that empower marginalized voices becomes critical, especially in times of rightward social and political shifts. The concept of 'Curation as Care' provides a testament to more conscious, critical approaches capable of transforming both art and wider society.
The discussion also demonstrated the value of collaboration between literary scholarship, activism, and the literary scene. Fatima Khan and Sharon Dodua Otoo spoke about the significance of interdisciplinarity and the importance of bringing different perspectives into dialog with one another. Their discussion drew attention to the relevance of supporting not only established authors, but also making audible the voices of those who have been excluded from traditional literary structures. As such, Hamburg’s 'Performative Buchmesse' offers one particularly powerful example, presenting not only literary content, but also creating innovative spaces and formats for exchange, community, and new aesthetic forms.
Above all, this event made clear that curation can be far more than a process of selection and presentation. It can—and should—provide an intervention into existing structures. It requires both courage and steadfast engagement to interrogate power relations and employ literature as a medium for transformation. But whether through alternative presentation formats, targeted selection processes, or interdisciplinary approaches, our presenters’ work demonstrates how curation can bring about such change.
The event was co-hosted by Kampnagel – Internationales Zentrum für Schönere Künste.