The first seminar of DOOSAN workshop program featured a lecture on the curatorial methodology of the Art Sonje Center’s vice director, Haeju Kim.

This seminar presented a vivid explanation as to how she began her practice in curating, as well practical outlooks on her experiences in the processes and outcomes of her key projects. She also talked about the various situations that resulted from the changes in her career, from her practice as an independent curator to her present position as a curator at an art center, as well as the different roles that are required as a curator. This lecture was meaningful in that it offered us the opportunity to reflect on the various elements we must consider in implementing and carrying out an exhibition.

The seminar began by talking about École du MAGASIN, a curator training program in France. It was understandable that the lack of public programs or fixed standards which illustrate how organizing an exhibition can be incorporated into a career motivated Kim to apply to the program. The exhibition was conducted as an archiving form, centering on the unique theme of the participating artists, based on the exploration of the methods through which the curator’s practice is related to the work of the artist being researched. This experience led to Kim’s interest in archive-type exhibitions and performances later on. Meanwhile, Theater of Sand (2012) and Memorial Park (2013) capture the curator’s contemplations on the ways of bringing in other genres like performances or performances into an art space. The intention of the exhibitions were to explore the expandability of the narrative in the play in performance and question how the narrative can be applied to a temporary performance and exhibition. Such ideas led to exhibitions that followed, including Choreography Society (2015), and Moving/Image (2017).

The lecture also talked about the method and meaning of archiving exhibition through the exhibition The Decisive Moments: Konggan Sarang, Archive, Performance (2014). The objective of the exhibition was to shed a new light on the lack of interest in archiving the major historical flow of performance in the performance world. In particular, focus was placed on how the method of archiving can generate new methodologies in terms of dealing with specific subjects.

Kim’s exhibitions were very impressive in that they lie in the overall context of a formal challenge, attempting to perpetuate the questions and issues of a certain exhibition into projects that followed. Of special importance, the lecture offered the opportunity to propose and talk about the processes and issues involved in how exhibition forms that are quite familiar now, such as performances and archiving, have come to be established.