Curatorial Research is a research area at Coventry University that explores innovative research into the investigative capacities of curatorial practices. This research area prioritises the complexities of the politics of exhibition and the decolonial imperative; the critical affordances of AI and the digital; and environmental responses for material and immaterial practices. Curatorial practices can address societal and historical issues by displaying and sharing cultural artifacts, while also actively intervening in society via its multiple formats.
Curatorial research is an investigative practice that asks questions through curatorial formats of exhibition, juxtaposition, discussions, workshops, screenings, publications, activism and more. These formats are tools for investigation that simultaneously operate as methods to advance the research question, and as fora for the collective construction and deconstruction of meanings and senses.
Curatorial research takes place in a variety of stages, from subtle interventions in the public space, to declamatory statements in international biennials, to discreet long-term inquiries in curatorial programmes, and public debates in political arenas. These formats become tools for investigation which can be brought outside the gallery and the academic and cultural spheres, through the articulation and making-public of material and immaterial cultures.
This research area is led by Prof Carolina Rito and Dr Kevin Walker, experienced researchers in curatorial research and practicing curators who come to this inquiry with world-class research developed nationally and internationally, and with international networks in the Higher Education and Cultural sectors.
The research area welcomes PhD applications to join our team and contribute to shaping the future of curatorial research. Contact us.
Logo by Sofia Bresciani, website by Kevin Walker, hosted by Centre for Postdigital Cultures at Coventry University. Funding graciously provided by the Research England Development Fund.