Third year BA Fine Art student at Orkney College UHI Anna Charlotta Gardiner discusses curating an exhibition at the Pier Arts Centre as part of her Professional Practice module.
Listen to the Voices of Art: curating and creating art as acts of unveiling
The Strength of a Whisper – the intimacy and power of small-scale artworks
Through my Fine Art degree studies at UHI Orkney College, I had the privilege of curating an exhibition at the Pier Arts Centre with my fellow student and friend Janine Smith. The Strength of a Whisper – the intimacy and power of small-scale artworks was devised with the invaluable support of the staff at the Pier, who taught me how intuitive and creative the process of curation can be. As an artist, I was struck by the similarities between creating and curating.
My own art practice is embedded in a dialogue between myself, the medium, and the evolving work. There is a sense of discovery, through communication, of something pre-existing that was waiting to be found. For this to succeed, it is important for me to get out of my own way, put my thinking mind aside and allow the work to speak to me.
Automatic drawing by Anna Charlotta Gardiner
Through my experience at the Pier, I found that the processes of selecting and hanging artwork share the intuitive nature of making art. Looking through the artworks in the Pier collection, Janine and I chose those works we were intuitively drawn to, those which spoke to us. As soon as the artworks were brought into the gallery space together, they began to speak to each other, to whisper. It felt as if the placement of works arose organically as soon as we understood to listen to these voices. Throughout, it felt like a process of making discoveries and unveiling something meant-to-be through intuitive listening.
Curating and creating have more in common than I had previously realised. However, they differ in the extent to which the voice of the artist or curator is involved. When making art I am an equal voice in the process – I get to talk back. Compared to creating art, curating is less of a conversation and more akin to being a good listener. The hand and eye of the curator, although essential, should be all but invisible to reveal an effective combination of artworks that appears natural and effortless.
Anna Charlotta Gardiner