A Curator’s Report of 19 Studio Visits

Abstract

The thesis project comprises a practical project and a written thesis. The practical component, a participatory performative-curatorial project, is titled Studio Visits by Chih Tung Lin. The project was operated in the format of studio visits and was carried out from September 2020 to January 2021. A total of 19 visits were conducted during the period. The written thesis consists of the documentation of the process, analysis, and reflection.

The practical project was based on the existing structure of the studio visit culture in Academy of Fine Arts. The invitation to the project was released via the webmail system in the academy. In the invitation email of Studio Visits by Chih Tung Lin, I insisted that 'I do not want to visit empty-handed'. By suggesting a twist to the conventional setup of a studio visit environment, I welcomed art students and artists to sign up as participants to the project. In addition, I proposed to provide a ‘massage service’ in exchange of the participant's presentation of their practice, current project, or anything they wished to share with me during the visit. Layers of confirmation between the participant and me were conducted prior to every visit. In the visits, I switched roles between a ‘curator’ and a ‘massage therapist’. The visits were agreed upon to be documented with audio recording.

The materials gathered from Studio Visits by Chih Tung Lin are organized and analyzed in the sections of the thesis. In the beginning of the thesis is the introduction of series of approaches that concerns the project. Then, the focus turns to framing ‘studio visit’ by defining the meaning of the site and the relationship its resident has with it. After, I give a run-through of the performance manual to demonstrate the structure of the ‘studio visits.’ Moving on, the thesis breaks down the political and economic meanings that the act of massage carries from the perspective of the curatorial. With it, I attempt to recreate an image of the role of a curator step-by-step. By outlining observed points, adopting analogies, and finally categorizing findings from my research, the thesis illustrates the curator’s role and re-imagines a curator’s tasks as well as their responsibilities when working with others.

In sum, the thesis invites its reader to read the character story of a curator’s role from a site-specific viewpoint. The thesis not only brings focus on studio visits, curators, and artists, but also on situations when the different roles intertwine at work, and on the unspoken conventions in the visual arts realm.