Exhibition Matters

‘The artwork is no longer the integral part of the exhibition; to curate an exhibition is to curate an experience.’ Bridging the gap between curatorial practices and spatial display methods, this book considers the impact of exhibition design not only on the material structure of the exhibition but also on its narrative potential. Exhibition Matters—an international collection of writings from academics and practitioners—explores this relationship between materiality and narrative, considering the contradictions inherent in exhibition design as strengths rather than limitations of a hybrid discipline. Exploring various devices and approaches to spatial dramaturgy(including exhibiting nature and the more-than-human, the multi-disciplinarity of the design process, and pioneering decolonial narratives) alongside innovative ways of studying them, each chapter shows how to move beyond traditional boundaries of exhibition design and elevate the discipline to an art form in itself. With case studies from Brazil to Italy, Turkey to the USA, this volume provides real-life examples and theoretical reflections on art, architecture and design, thus providing an interdisciplinary and accessible work – ideal for exhibition designers and curators, interior architects, and all those looking to construct spatial narratives beyond the sum of their parts. This volume highlights significant past and present issues related to the exhibition-making system, explored from historiographical and critical analytical perspectives. It encompasses curating contemporary art, architectural design, and exhibition practices pertaining to cultural heritage. Above all, the book seeks to account for the current exhibition landscape, which emphasises the transversality of means and content as the focal point of contemporary curatorial practices. The range of contributions emphasises the contradictions inherent in the ontology of exhibition design, which, rather than acting as limitations, serve as strengths of a multifaceted and hybrid discipline. Neither a simple strategy of visual representation nor merely the result of an architectural gesture, exhibition design is analysed here as a hybrid creative and exhibition formula capable of generating experience and knowledge. Key concepts such as visual narration, spatial dramaturgy, and post-media approaches have animated the research of Exhibition Matters, providing new insights to reflect on the complex interdisciplinary relationship that characterises the display, which functions, sometimes simultaneously, as a device for spatial specialisation, a form of art in itself, and an exhibition logic that is now almost fully integrated into contemporary artistic endeavours.