Exhibition Hang 101

Now that the installation for the John Moores Painting Prize China Exhibition has finished, we thought we would shed some light on the curatorial process involved when setting up an exhibition.

There is a great deal of strategic planning and thought that goes into curating an exhibition. Before considering the installation and framing, it is important to define a key concept for the show to create a harmonious feel and bring unity to the artworks.

When considering the defining theme, consideration of the audience and the artists is a key component. As the exhibition involves work by artists from a different country, cultural differences and language barriers are an important focus, to ensure that we are portraying the artists’ intentions and the audience interactions with the pieces.

For this reason, using the artists to help inform the curation of the exhibition helps to generate a creative dynamic between the curator and the artist in communicating the feelings connected to the works.

Artists assisting with exhibition curation

There has been much discourse into the relationship between the artist and curator, particularly how the role of the curator as the caregiver to the artist, by facilitating the dissemination of their works. Many critics have viewed curators as mediators between the artworks and ideas, helping to create a space for dialogue and discourse among audiences.

This is a crucial relationship to balance, the artist and curator. By having the artist inform the curatorial practice, it brings their intentions for the work to the forefront; however, a key ideal to uphold is the creation of harmony between the pieces. Staging a narrative to the exhibit links the pieces together and creates further intellectual accessibility for the public to immerse themselves within the show.

Exhibition Framing:

When it comes to staging the exhibit, it is key to be able to visualise the artwork within the space and map out the correct placement. Consideration of light, space and interaction is key. Having a strong familiarity with the artworks is paramount to this stage, in order to communicate the artists' intentions.

Staging the exhibition of Chen Jiabin and Nie Li's work

In addition to understanding the work, understanding the space itself can be considered even more crucial when factoring in building regulations and accessibility. Knowing what modifications can be made to the space to enhance the work is key. Certain factors such as wall stability, weight of the works and lighting modification are all crucial elements.

On the theme of accessibility, it is crucial to imbue this within every sense of the word. Whether that be physical accessibility to interact with the artworks or intellectual accessibility through what language you use to delineate the artworks.

In our exhibit, we ensured there was clear spacing between the works, so that visitors could fully immerse themselves into each piece. We also produced catalogues to provide further information on each artist and a series of slides to provide context on the artists painting process as a form of further engagement.