Hans Ulrich Obrist defines the curator's role not as a gatekeeper, but as a 'junction maker' who listens to artists to understand their unrealized dreams and then enables those projects. This approach prioritizes serendipity, long-term relationships, and creating the conditions for unexpected connections to emerge.
The discussion highlights a strategic push to expand art's reach beyond traditional physical spaces. Examples like the Serpentine's Fortnite collaboration, which attracted 150 million virtual visitors, and the ongoing 'Do It' project, where audiences create the art from instructions, demonstrate how art can become a participatory, global, and digitally native experience.
A core theme is the fusion of art with other fields like technology, music, poetry, ecology, and science. Projects with Refik Anadol (AI), Peter Doig (music), and the development of a pollinator garden show how combining disciplines creates richer, multi-sensory experiences and addresses complex contemporary issues.
Obrist champions projects that unfold over years or even decades, such as his 33-year-old 'Do It' exhibition and his 4,500-hour archive of conversations. This philosophy stands in direct opposition to a world dominated by short-term deadlines and event-driven culture, advocating for sustained, evolving engagement.
Citing philosopher Édouard Glissant, Obrist advocates for an approach that resists the homogenizing forces of globalization while avoiding narrow localism. The ideal is to create art and dialogue that are deeply anchored in a local context but are open to and contribute to a global conversation.
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