1000 words’ new book presents 21 interviews with leading curators of contemporary photography

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Featuring interviews with Renée Mussai, Thyago Nogueira, Azu Nwagbogu, Alona Pardo, and more

In recent months, discussions surrounding curation have been at the forefront of photographic discourse, partly due to the new modes of display demanded by the pandemic, but also in the context of urgent debates concerning institutional diversity.

Curator Conversations, published by 1000 Words and edited by Tim Clark, compiles a collection of interviews with leading curators who work with contemporary photography. The texts shed light on the conception of exhibitions at institutions worldwide, including Zeitz MOCAA – Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town; Instituto Moreira Salles, São Paulo; MoMA, New York; and Tate Modern, London. The curators interviewed are those behind their landmark shows. ‘Landmark’ in their scope and scale, but also their innovative curation. Interviewees include Renée Mussai, Thyago Nogueira, Azu Nwagbogu, Alona Pardo, and many others.

Collectively, the texts explore how curation mediates our experience and understanding of photography within an institutional setting and takes a critical perspective on subjects, including curators’ roles and responsibilities; the notion of exhibitions as artworks; the relationships between artists and curators, and museums and visitors; and curatorial activism as a means of decolonisation. Curator Conversations is not prescriptive. Instead, it exists as a point from which to engage in meaningful conversations about the role of curators in the photographic realm today and going forward..

Curator Conversations, edited by Tim Clark, is published by 1000 words.

Hannah Abel-Hirsch

Hannah Abel-Hirsch joined British Journal of Photography in 2017, where she was Assistant Editor. Previously, she was an Editorial Assistant at Magnum Photos, and a Studio Assistant for Susan Meiselas and Mary Ellen Mark in New York. Before which, she completed a BA in History of Art at University College London. Her words have also appeared on Magnum Photos, 1000 Words, and in the Royal Academy of Arts magazine.