The Artist As Curator - Panel by Sarah Gluck

Review - Swiss Institute Panel
April 15th 2015

Where: Swiss Institute
18 Wooster St, New York, NY 10013

When: Wednesday, April 5th @ 7 pm

Who: Jennifer Chan, Josh Kline, and Leah Schrager
Moderated by: Elena Filipovic


Review:

Every face that passes you walking down Wooster Street is someone beautiful. It’s almost as if you are transported into a fashion magazine. The people are very tall, lean, and model – like. Strong jaw lines and heavy brows – what’s “in” is in and on Wooster Street. The Swiss Institute is a sharp turn to your left greeting you with a large brick wall painted in shiny metallic silver. The entrance is a glass door along side a wide garage that features 9 by 7 windows, where you can see inside the building exactly what’s going on. As I make my way into the building rows of black plastic chairs are lined up for audience seating. In front, 4 chairs are facing the audience where artist Jennifer Chan, Josh Kline, and Leah Schrager will eventually sit, along side curator Elena Filipovic will be interviewing them.
The panel begins a little after 7 with introductions of each artist. Josh Kline was first by introducing himself as an artist with different instillations he has previously done such as “Freedom” which is on display now in New Museum’s Triennial exhibition, his 2011 art instillation Skin So Soft, as well as upcoming events where he will have a solo exhibition at Modern Art Oxford, UK. In context with the panel, Kline goes over his personal acquaintance with being a curator. In this specific project, Kline talks about how he worked as curator at Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), the non- profit archive of video art where he organized many artist involving performance pieces, instillations, screenings, etc. His use of language was conventional, yet comedic. Kline was active with the audience in body expression; naturally making the audience and other artist feel comfortable from the start. The setting of the room almost felt like a press conference before the event even began, but once Kline started talking the energy in the whole room became more enjoyable and attentive.
The next artist was Jennifer Chan who is more of a digital artist working with video, and creating websites in affliction with gendered affects of media culture including a tumblr page. She also worked with Leah Schrager who co –curated Body Anxiety. Leah as the third artist, and final artist on the panel, is a visual and conceptual artist. Best known as the founder of Naked Therapy. She is an “extreme selfie model” and famous for having numerous online “onas” (online personas) at OnaArtist.com.
The panel continues with Elena Filipovic, who is the director and chief curator of Kuntsthalle Basel, interviewing each individual artist on their recent idea and new attempts of curating themselves. One of the main focuses that came out of the panel was curating as a whole. The idea of how one categorizes himself or herself as an artist and how that experience can change/not change by being the curator (the one who organizes all the art together). The concept of how different art in a public space is separate than an online piece, and how that changes for the artist and the interrupter. Something Jennifer Chan made a conscious effort of was the growing movement to viewing things online vs. something tangible and in person. Is something lost with not seeing art in person? Elena argues how the level of intimacy with art is gone. The viewer of a piece can’t touch, or feel – which to some may give a better understanding of the art piece, give meaning to it. Can something digital online express this the same way a solo show would be for an artist? Chan may have come off in her efforts as a little awkward and soft spoken but her idea of how certain things digitally will create a context where people feel more comfortable viewing it and where it feels right being online. The question by Chan and Schrager is purposed – “What would art come to look like if digital artists were receiving consistent commission?”
Overall, there were a lot of different opinions (mostly personal – in relation to their own art) about how curation is happening with not just people who consider themselves curators, but now the artists themselves. It makes one curious on how art will look in the future, especially if one has plans on one day becoming an artist, which seemed to be majority of the people viewing the panel. Also, is physical art dying? Or is different digital art just growing because of the Internet?  More questions rise leaving the panel, than going in. Art in the future….to be continued.