مطالعه‌ای بر جایگاه و گونه‌شناسی نمایشگاه‌گردان در بستر گالری‌های هنر تهران

کیوریتوری به‌عنوان یک حرفه و اصطلاح از نیمه‌ی سال‌های 1380 در صحنه‌ی هنر تهران، به‌ویژه در گالری‌های خصوصی مطرح شد، اما کیوریت کردن و تولید نمایشگاه‌ها مقوله‌ای است که از شکل‌گیری اولین گالری‌ها در سال‌های 1320 شمسی قابل مشاهده است. با این حال، تقریباً پس از دو دهه آشنایی جامعه‌ی هنری تهران با مقوله‌ی کیوریتوری، کیوریتور هنوز به عنوان رکنی ثابت در گالری‌ها قلمداد نشده و جایگاهش در سلسه‌مراتب سازمانی این اماکن نامشخص است. بدین‌لحاظ، این پژوهش قصد دارد با مد نظر قرار دادن گونه‌های کیوریتوری، که فعالیت آنها به‌نوعی در ارتباط با نهاد‌ها است، یعنی «کیوریتور سازمانی»، «مستقل»، «هم-وابسته» و «هنرمند-کیوریتور» به بررسی جایگاه کیوریتور در سطح گالری‌های تهران بپردازد. پرسش‌هایی که این پژوهش به‌دنبال پاسخ‌گویی است بدین ترتیب هستند: جایگاه کیوریتور در سسله‌مراتب سازمانی گالری‌های هنر تهران چیست؟ و آیا ارتباطی میان گونه‌های کیوریتوری فعال در گالری‌ها و تثبیت نشدن جایگاه سازمانی کیوریتور وجود دارد؟ این تحقیق از نوع توصیفی و کیفی است و در راستای پاسخ به این پرسش‌ها داده‌ها را به شیوه‌ی کتابخانه‌ای گردآوری کرده و روشی تاریخی-تحلیلی را به‌کار می‌گیرد؛ بدین‌صورت‌که نخست شرحی از کیوریتور و گونه‌های آن ارائه می‌گردد و سپس با ارائه تاریخچه‌ای از گالری‌های تهران از سال‌های 1320 و فعالیت‌های کیوریتوری اجرا شده در آنها، گونه‌ها و جایگاه کیوریتور را مشخص می‌سازد. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهند که گونه‌ی هنرمند-کیوریتور بیشترین حضور را در فضای گالری‌ها داشته و فعالیت گالری‌‌داران/ هنرمندان در نقش کیوریتور مستقل و حتی شبه هم-‌وابسته، به تثبیت نشدن جایگاه کیوریتور در سطح این نهادها کمک کرده است.

a study on the typology and position of the curator in the context of art galleries in tehran

the article at hand delves into examining the factors contributing to the lack of establishment of the curator’s organizational role in galleries of tehran. through an examination of diverse curatorial practices within these settings and a review of exhibited activities in galleries, it arrives at conclusions regarding this matter.a historical analysis of exhibition activities in the iranian art scene brings to light that curatorial involvement has not necessarily been a profession but rather an experiential task since the inception of the first modern exhibition spaces in the 1940s. post-revolution, especially during the reform period, the influx of iranian and international curators into iran transforms this practice into a more specialized form. starting from the 2010s, the advent of new-generation exhibition spaces solidifies curatorial work as a distinct profession. while curatorial experiences in the iranian art scene may not perfectly align with the concept of curatorial as an ideational, research-oriented, and executive pursuit, unquestionably, one of the primary and traditional functions of curation —organizing and producing exhibitions—is encompassed, an activity that has been executed in exhibition spaces both pre- and post-revolution.if we consider the &exhibition& as one of the primary forms of curatorial productions and associate it with the overarching concept of &display platforms,& then by examining the peak period of gallery emergence, namely in the late 1940s and 1980s, the mid-1960s, early 1970s, the 2000s, and the 2010s, the art scene in iran has witnessed experimental and even professional curatorial practices. nevertheless, this has not led curators to attain an &organizational& position within these institutions, in other words, the very institutions that have shown the highest acceptance of the curatorial figure and related activities. the reason for this paradox may seem obvious, yet it demands further scrutiny.in exploring this subject, the present research, characterized as descriptive and qualitative, adopts a historical-analytical method to address the following questions: first, what is the position of the curator in tehran art galleries? second, does the lack of institutional consolidation of the curator’s position in the hierarchical structure of galleries relate to the activities of various curatorial genres in these venues or the involvement of other factors such as gallery owners and their role in exhibition production? it is evident that the realm of exhibition-making and curating in galleries is primarily confined to the field of visual arts. therefore, this article will limit its study within these parameters, collecting data and information from the period of 1940 to the present through library research and primary and secondary sources. considering that the majority of iranian art galleries are concentrated in the capital, the geographical scope of this research will be focused on the city of tehran.to address the aforementioned questions, this study is divided into several sections. in the theoretical foundations section, it will delve into conceptology and offer a brief history of galleries. subsequently, by categorizing galleries and examining exhibition and curatorial activities within them, the study will define the position and types of curators, leading to conclusions. following the conceptology section, the term &curator& and its derivatives will be reviewed. the occupation of curating will be defined, followed by the introduction and elaboration of its various types, including &institutional curator,& &freelance/independent curator,& &co-dependent curator,& and &artist-curator.& proceeding in the exploration of the subject, a historical overview of tehran galleries will be presented, classifying these spaces into five categories: &cultural association galleries affiliated with embassies,& &artist-run galleries,& &commercial galleries,& &public galleries,& and &art foundation galleries.& the study will then outline curatorial activities or those associated with curating (such as organizing exhibitions, selecting and organizing artworks, holding side events, and publications) in these contexts through examples.an examination of the abovementiond processes reveals that the majority of activities in the realm of exhibition production have been undertaken by artists. these artists have been involved in managing commercial and non-commercial exhibition spaces, both public and private, and organizing exhibitions even before the term &curator& gained prominence in the iranian art scene in the 2000s. consequently, it can be asserted that, in comparison to other types, the &artist-curator& genre has experienced the highest presence in the discussed exhibition contexts. more precisely, cultural association galleries, artist-run spaces, commercial galleries, and public galleries have been the venues where artists, in the capacity of a curator or engaged in parallel and overlapping activities such as gallery ownership, have been actively involved in exhibition curation. due to the lack of specialists and necessary