Online Courses

Curating Social Practice: Addressing Postcolonialism in Solo Exhibitions

Course dates: Sa 5  +12 April 2025, 2–6pm (CEST)Maximum participants: 20

⮕ Enrol here until April 4, 2025
Fee: EUR 250

What is the role of a curator in a solo exhibition that offers in-depth experiencing of contemporary artist’s practice? When it comes to social practice art, the curator works closely with the artist to help facilitate community engagement, social critique and participatory elements of the artworks and the exhibition itself. Curating social practice means holding space for meaningful interactions between the artist, the audience, and the societal context. In addressing postcolonial issues, such curatorial work engages with postcolonial theory and critique. The role of a curator is to help the artist communicate through the presentation of their work, how that work confronts colonial legacies, cultural identity, and power structures in a globalized world.

This workshop examines how curators and artists collaborate to address postcolonial themes in solo exhibitions, across various mediums, emphasizing their shared approaches and creative processes. It also analyzes the challenges and opportunities of presenting postcolonial discourse within the institutional contexts, including issues of representation and engagement. Finally, the workshop explores case studies of solo exhibitions that successfully integrate social and postcolonial themes, providing practical insights and strategies for curatorial practice.

Klaudia Ofwona Draber is the Executive Director & Chief Curator of KODA—a social practice residency for mid-career artists. She has lived and led arts, technology and strategy projects in Europe, Africa, and the United States. Her professional experience includes serving as Faculty at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, working as the Head of Public Relations at the Polish Cultural Institute New York, and as a consultant to the British Council Arts. She also worked at UBS, managing global change and local arts CSR projects. Klaudia was the 2021-2022 Helena Rubinstein Fellow at the Whitney Museum ISP Curatorial Studies Program. She is a board member at ArtTable and a mentor at NEW INC. Klaudia holds an MA in Art Business from Sotheby‘s Institute of Art New York. She also holds an MA in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics. Klaudia is a PhD candidate in Practice in Curating at the University of Reading and OnCurating Academy.

Preparation for the course:
To ensure a smooth experience, please use a headset (or headphones) and choose a quiet place with a stable internet connection. You will receive access to the required reading materials after booking the course; please review them in advance.

Procedure
This intensive, two-part live course will be conducted via Zoom on two consecutive Saturdays from 2:00 to 6:00 PM CEST. Please prepare a brief introduction of yourself and your projects (3-5 minutes). The first session will focus on an in-depth introduction to the topic and workshop research. Assignments for the second session will be provided at the end of the first session. In the second session, you will receive feedback and evaluations. Upon successful completion, you will be awarded a certificate worth 1 ECTS credit.

Technical instructions
Download the Zoom application. You will find a detailed installation guide here. Zoom can also be accessed through a browser on Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android tablet, or Android phone. You will receive a Zoom invitation with a link to join the workshop.