Curatorial Fellowship at the Kunsthalle Bremen
As a part of the programme “International Museum Fellowship”, sponsored by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Culture Foundation), a fellowship beginning on 1 April 2016 is to be awarded in order to carry out the research and exhibition project “The Blind Spot: World Trade, Art Patronage and Collection History in Colonial Times Based on the Kunsthalle Bremen”. The Kunsthalle Bremen is an important, privately run German museum. It is operated by the Kunstverein in Bremen (Bremen Art Association), which was founded in 1823 by a small group of citizens of Bremen and has since come to include around 9000 members. Its extensive collection encompasses outstanding paintings and sculptures from the 14th to the 21st century as well as an important collection of works on paper. In addition to presenting its collection, the Kunsthalle Bremen offers a variety of temporary exhibitions, which purposefully focus on works or aspects of the collection or develop new questions and insights from the perspective of the collection. Information about the Kunsthalle Bremen and the Bremen Art Association is available at: www.kunsthalle-bremen.de. The Bremen Art Association’s foundation in the early 19th century took place in an era of rapidly expanding intercontinental trade relations, economic imperialism and colonial expansionism, in which the city of Bremen was an active participant. The founders and leading supporters of the Bremen Art Association included numerous internationally active traders, who decisively contributed to the collection’s formation through their donations and testamentary gifts and also supported various additions to its architecture. The dark side of these charitable activities – for example, the gathering of wealth by means of exploitation in other countries – has barely been researched to date. With the fellowship “The Blind Spot: World Trade, Art Patronage and Collection History in Colonial Times Based on the Kunsthalle Bremen”, the Kunsthalle Bremen would like to entrust a curator or emerging scholar with the task of independently re-examining the history and the collection of the Bremen Art Association – considered before the backdrop of colonial contexts and analysed in comparison with major German, European and American museums. The research work and the subsequent conversion of its results into an exhibition project are to examine new curatorial approaches and, in doing so, make their way between two primary poles: 1) a productive analysis of institutional collection history, bourgeois patronage and the formation of taste in the context of the history of trade and colonialism in Bremen and Germany, by means of a critical postcolonialist approach. 2) a critical examination of the art collected and exhibited by the Bremen Art Association, shedding light on the reception of “primitive art” in the context of early modernism and also using iconographic motifs and collection history to document traces of the interaction with non-European cultures. In an international symposium, an exhibition and an accompanying catalogue, a debate about intercultural work in museums is to be initiated and, beyond this, perspectives are to be developed for the Kunsthalle Bremen’s future collection strategy and presentation. Reflection on the colonial legacy is thus to provide a stimulus for a creative encounter with the effects of globalisation and migration today and to raise new questions about cultural difference and identity. The fellowship is intended for outstanding emerging scholars and curators from the fields of art history, cultural studies, history or comparable areas who primarily live and work outside of Germany – within Europe or, particularly, outside of Europe. The fellow shall possess a university honours degree as well as professional experience relevant to their field. The following documented qualifications are desirable: - experience and knowledge in the areas of colonial history, postcolonial theory, museological institutional history and developments in contemporary art - international perspective with knowledge of the history of former colonies as well as non-European art - basic professional experience in the curating of exhibitions - interest in linking historical perspectives with tendencies in contemporary art - willingness to occupy oneself with new approaches related to curating and presentation techniques and to further develop these - experience with research in archives and with historical primary sources - good knowledge of (spoken and written) German or, alternatively, willingness to gain an appropriate level of knowledge. The fellowship is planned as a full-time position lasting for a duration of 18 months. Payment will correspond to TV-L 13/1 (Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst der Länder, Gruppe 13, Stufe 1: http://oeffentlicher-dienst.info/c/t/rechner/tv-l/west?id=tv-l&g=E_13&s=1&zv=VBL&z=100&zulage=&stj=2015&stkl=1&r=&zkf=&kk=15.5%25). The place of work is Bremen. Assistance will be provided for the completion of a language course as well as participation in workshops, conferences and other events and establishing contact with international partners of the museum during the fellowship. The German Federal Culture Foundation is planning an extensive academy programme for the fellow’s scholarly assistance. Information on the programme “International Museum Fellowship” is available at: www.kulturstiftung-des-bundes.de/cms/en/programme/fellowship_internationales_museum/. Please include the following materials in your application: - covering letter - CV - copies of university diplomas - copies of employment references (if available) - a list of publications and lectures - an approximately one-page statement on the theme of the project - contact information for two people who would be willing to write a letter of recommendation. Applications are to be submitted electronically and must be received by 21 December 2015 at: hausdorf@kunsthalle-bremen.de. Interviews will be carried out via Skype in the week of 4–8 January 2016. If you have any questions, please contact Dr Eva Fischer-Hausdorf, Curator for Modern and Contemporary Art, Kunsthalle Bremen, Am Wall 207, 28195 Bremen: hausdorf@kunsthalle-bremen.de
