Huixian Dong, Ph.D., is an art historian and curator. She specializes in contemporary curatorial practice, with exhibition projects presented at various international venues, including Sasse Museum of Art (CA), Three Shadows Photography Centre (Beijing), Gallery 100 (AZ), Beijing Lu Xun Museum, RIVAA Gallery (NYC), Northwest University, (Xi’an), and Shanghai Museum of Sun Yat-sen’s Former Residence. Anchored in experimentality, her curatorial approach often employs the exhibition itself as a method of inquiry, exploring questions of displacement, community building, and the revisiting and deconstruction of history and memory in contemporary contexts. Beyond curating, her scholarly research addresses issues of gender and culture in global contemporary art, with particular attention to the creative practices of Chinese women artists and their cross-cultural dialogues.
Thank you for joining us. Can you briefly introduce yourself?
I am an art historian and curator. My current scholarly work centers on Global Contemporary Art, with a particular focus on underrepresented women artists and the Asian art diaspora.
In terms of connecting with artists, can you share with us your process of research and communication with them?
Traditionally (in art history), writing about artists leans heavily on biography. Writers tend to search for reasons and affirmations in the artist’s past (i.e. childhood experiences, educational background, pivotal life moments, and relationships with others or with the external world). However, working with contemporary artists requires something different from the writer (at least from my perspective). It requires a stance that can gaze into the artist’s life and background while still leaving space for the artist to feel they are not being over-interpreted. I believe artists need autonomy to create work that can endure and take on a life of its own.
When I research an artist, my interest almost always begins with the work itself. I tend to study iconography, medium, symbols, connections, and possible references before approaching the artist directly. Human beings, unfortunately, are socially constructed; when I interact with a person, all the social and cultural identities and labels attached to them can easily overwhelm my thinking. A work of art carries no such labels, and for that reason it can deliver the purest kind of experience that are sensorial, intellectual, aesthetic, or otherwise.
You mentioned “communication,” which is a complex term. In communication studies (the plurals), communication can derive different meanings through verbal and non-verbal means. I gather a great deal of information by viewing an artist’s work before we begin our dialogue. What is coherent? What is contrasting? What feels slightly off? These are the clues that interest me, and often artists find these observations equally interesting that sometimes these observations help the artist come to know themselves a little better.
Creating a safe environment is the key. And by environment, I mean not only the communicative environment but also the academic and discursive ones. Stay non-judgmental, stay dynamic, and let dialogues and thoughts flow.
In your view, what are the key elements that contribute to a successful artist or gallery exhibition?
This is an interesting question, because “success” can be defined in many ways, and people tend to hold very different opinions about what it means. Merriam-Webster defines success simply as “a favorable or desired outcome.”
I have worked with blue-chip artists as well as community-based activist-artists. Whether their desired outcome is self-expression, thinking through ideas, financial security, recognition, achievement, or simply the joy of making, I believe the one outcome they all share is the desire to “be seen” whether by a vast global audience or by their immediate local community.
As for exhibitions, whether held in museums, galleries, or non-traditional spaces, my own desired outcome is whether the “question” has been examined, viewed, and discussed. I see curation as a method of research: a way to raise questions, to explore possibilities, and, hopefully, to arrive at some answers.
The concept of “community” plays a significant role in the art world. How do you define it from the perspective of an art researcher and writer?
Community represents shared interests among individuals. No one is an isolated island. Each of us plays different roles in different communities, some physical, some discursive. The Li Tang Community is a perfect example of the latter, a discursive space where the discourse of the Asian art diaspora unfolds.
Could you share your perspective on the role of a researcher and writer in today’s art market?
Be aware of the market, embrace it, study it, and most importantly, keep the research independent.
text & photo courtesy of Huixian Dong
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