Queer Art and Queer Curating

*This course offers University credits. To opt for credits read this page

This course gives an introduction to queer theories, queer art practices, and to ongoing conversations about forms and methods of queer exhibition-making. Queer curating not only relates to a better representation of the diversity of gender and sexuality in collections and exhibitions, it also addresses how this can be achieved. Queer curating challenges the museum and exhibition as normalizing entities, where meanings are created and binary and heteronormative structures are reinforced.

This course will explore specific practices that question heteronormative and binary settings and conventional artistic and curatorial processes. Participants will receive a grounding in the history of queer art and the most important exhibitions dealing with LGBTIQ+ representations and discourses. Since the important question in the processes of queering exhibitions is not only what is presented but also how it is presented, this course will explore potential future directions in curating from a queer perspective. In particular, the course will inspire rethinking exhibitions, collections, art mediation and education as well as personnel policies, and will encourage participants to set new thematic priorities.

Each week, participants will be given a reading list including visual material and assignments to hone their knowledge.