Five lectures on curating

A new edition of a book on the history of curators in the context of Russian practice of organizing exhibitions.
“Five lectures on curators” by Viktor Misiano is the first experience of summarizing the practice of a Russian -speaking curator, a unique opportunity for a Russian reader to get acquainted with the history of curators and exhibitions, as well as examples from the author’s professional biography. The text of Misiano transfers international concepts of the profession to the Russian context, illuminating the ratio of the local art system and global processes, as well as political and social trends and events.
The name of the book should be understood literally: five lectures given at the UNIC Institute are devoted to five topics: key concepts of curatorial practice, the history of curators, the art system in which the curator operates, its position in the modern art world and the ethics of curatorial labor. The central ideas of this book also belongs to the idea of ​​the relational, dialogical nature of curatorial practice, in addition, it gives a psychological characteristic of the personality of the curator, the image of his life and work.
Forming the theoretical base of the profession, Misiano addresses both the work on curators and sociology of art, and to his own extensive experience in Russian and international projects. The activities of the curator are considered by the author in the context of the art system, as well as through the ratio of local and world art processes. Speaking about the connection of the global and local, the author notes the constant change in the role of the curator in a globalized political space.
The text of the lecture course maintains a connection with oral speech. This “ease”, mobility is also broadcast into some key ideas of the book: curators seem to be lively knowledge that is constantly changing and enriching. Through the analysis of the work of the curator Misiano, the reader introduces the reader into the world of contemporary art, showing it to the mechanics, sometimes not hiding his characteristic cynicism, but capturing the imagination of the subject