Umi Naka | Part 1 of the Previous Episode: How I Came to Put Together an Exhibition
Umi Naka reflects on his journey from student to curator, detailing how he came to view exhibitions as spaces to be 'put together' rather than objects to be 'made'.Summary
Umi Naka, a curator specializing in contemporary art at the Artizon Museum, reflects on his journey to becoming a curator. He distinguishes between 'making' and 'putting together' exhibitions, arguing that while artworks require durability to be considered 'works,' exhibitions are temporary spaces that rely on the experience of visitors and the 'act' of assembly. His interest in exhibition-making began at International Christian University (ICU), where he studied Western art history and encountered feminist/gender theory and the history of exhibitions. During his undergraduate thesis on Natalia Goncharova, he felt discomfort with the linear narrative of the artist's career, preferring to view the artist's image as emerging from the relationships between individual works. This was solidified by his visit to the 14th Istanbul Biennial, 'SALTWATER: A Theory of Thought Forms.' The exhibition, spread across 36 venues including a bank and a hotel, challenged the hierarchy of center and periphery. Instead of a central theme, it relied on the relationships between various elements, including invisible venues and the visitor's physical experience. Naka adopted this methodology, viewing exhibitions as containers for 'thought forms' rather than just displays of paintings and sculptures. He now applies this philosophy in his current work, combining contemporary artists with collections and creating exhibitions that include the conditions for new works to emerge.
(Source：artscape)