Final show - Curating

I would like to launch an exhibition for the last project and this project about contour fashion collections and portfolios. While I have heard about curating always, I do not know what it is about exactly. So I look at the meaning of curation first.



'In a museum, gallery, or similar arts setting, curating is the act of selecting, organizing, and presenting objects for display. Typically, the artwork is cared for by a curator—a specialist responsible for curating—and consists of work from an institution’s permanent collection, though it is common for loaned artworks to also be curated for special exhibitions. (Adbou, 2019)'


I have never thought of holding an exhibition for my projects, it is a challenge for me to plan.
However, for reference, I researched an underwear exhibition called "Undressed: A brief history of underwear held in V&A, 2016-2017.

This exhibition had underwear designs from the 18th century to the present. As underwear exhibition, all the intimates were dressed up on the mannequin and displayed in the glass box like displayed in the shops. Also, this exhibition consisted of two floors in a different mood. It explored the intimate relationship between underwear and fashion and its role in moulding the body to a fashionable ideal (Victora & Albert Museum, 2016). According to FashionNetwork (2016), among the more than 200 examples of underwear for unisex, there is everything from corsets and crinolines to pop-art bikini briefs, a style that was associated with gay culture in the 1960s.

Interestingly, the sheer Liza Bruce-dress which Kate Moss wore in 1993 was displayed.

Overall, this exhibition is really impressed and would be helpful for the fashion and lingerie designers and students who study that field. I feel so shame that this exhibition was held during the period that I was not in the UK and I always dream to visit this kind of exhibition. If they relaunch it in the near future after this pandemic, I will definitely visit and study more about intimate. Nevertheless, If there's only one thing that I desire, I think it would have been better if the sketches and processes of these designs had been displayed together in photographs.


For my show, I am going to answer some questions from the PowerPoint we had in the last class.

1. Selection

• How many pieces will fit in the gallery?

       : The more the number of works, the better it would be to organize the gallery, but I'm planning to organize the gallery in a small and compact way by having 8-10 pieces of my works because I will organize my works from the last term and this term.

• How does putting many pieces in your show send a different message than just putting a few?

      : I think the more works there are, the more identities and thoughts the author can show.

2. Organization

• How can I lead my viewer into and through my show?

       : I think it is most important to promote the show with pamphlets and social networks to attract audiences and to inform people around me so that as many people as possible can see my exhibition.

3. Presentation

• Who is my audience?

      : My exhibition is a show for young women basically, and there is a limit to the diversity of the audience's gender. However, I want to gather male audiences by advertising it as a special event for men's beloved girlfriends and families, not just only for women.

• What do I want to communicate with them?

       : Perhaps we can communicate through business mail or social network.

• How do I do that in the gallery space?

       : I cannot divide many sections because there are not many works, but I want to divide two sections by theme and display them in a different and fun way.

In fact, there are many cases where many exhibitions have complex structures, but in my case, I would like to display all my works as simple, neat, and visible. Also, I hope that all the people who will participate in my show will have joy and good awareness and experience from the show by organizing the exhibition in a fun and interesting way according to the theme as much as possible.

Reference,


1) ADBOU, K. R. (2019) What Is Curating? See Why More and More People Are Interested in Becoming Curators. [Online] Available from: https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-curating/ [Accessed 16/05/20]
2) FASHIONNETWORK (2016) "Undressed" exhibition to open at V&A. [Online] Available from: https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/-undressed-exhibition-to-open-at-v-a,681318.html [Accessed 16/05/20]
3) VICTORIAANDARVERTMUSEUM (2016) Inside the Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear exhibition [Online] Available from: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/inside-the-undressed-a-brief-history-of-underwear-exhibition [Accessed 16/05/20]