Google the word ‘curator’, and you’ll likely find that it refers to someone who works in a museum and ‘oversees’ or ‘cares’ for its collections. Some curators specialise in a specific historical period, while others, working in a national institution, are tasked as custodians of a country’s cultural heritage.
As someone who aspires to be a curator, I have found curatorial positions in established institutions to be rather intimidating. I imagine the years of study and work required for such jobs. To learn more about alternative routes and different types of curators, I chose to speak with those who have been working in independent contemporary art curation without any formal training.
From my conversations with Mark Teh, Sharmin Parameswaran, Seelan Palay and Yap Sau Bin (all are Malaysian except for Palay, a Singaporean), I was struck by four aspects of curating:
(i) The Latin origins of ‘curate’ which is ‘to care’
(ii) The research necessary for sound conceptual reflection
(iii) The negotiation needed when working with institutions
(iv) The connection building between artist, art and audience