2022 Research-Based Curatorial Project

OCAT Institute is pleased to announce the official launch of the “2022 Research-Based Curatorial Project.” We are now accepting research-based exhibition proposals from the academic and art circles.

The “research-based exhibition” is a type of art exhibition with specific characteristics and functions. As an institution dedicated to both art research and exhibition, the OCAT Institute has been developing the “research-based exhibition” as an integral part of its annual programs since 2018. The aim is to promote the integration of art and scholarship, and to provide practical opportunities and an interactive platform for scholars and curators in the field of contemporary art and art history.

With the launch of this year’s “Research-Based Curatorial Project,” the OCAT Institute looks forward to receiving more proposals with outstanding research depth, vivid spatial description, and novel approach.

Project Guidelines
1. The submitted proposal shall be “research-based.” Through exploration of modern and contemporary Chinese art, the project aims to establish a paradigm of values, a mechanism of academic study and an alternative approach, oriented by historical research. The content of the projects shall include, but not limited to the following subjects: studies of art phenomenon or events, art theories; research on a specific genre, such as painting, moving image, architecture, design, sound art, etc.; or research on regional art. All studies with scholarly merit are welcomed.
2. The submitted proposal shall be original and experimental. We encourage relatively small-scaled and flexible exhibitions.
3. Proposed exhibits have to be realizable. Based on the exhibition in question, exhibits to be included can range from archives, manuscripts, photographs, publications, artworks, etc. Above all, exhibitions shall emphasize scholarly merits, rather than merely exhibiting artworks.
4. Proposed exhibitions shall be curated and designed according to the provided exhibition spaces and conditions of OCAT Institute.
5. The proposed exhibitions shall take less than two weeks to install, with an exhibiting length of 2-3 months.

Submission Requirements
Fill out your Personal CV as required and submit together with a complete exhibition proposal including the following contents (Exhibition proposals can be submitted in either Chinese or English):
1. Project title and statement (limited to 1000 words in Chinese or 600 words in English)
2. Curator/curatorial team’s CV (limited to 500 words in Chinese or 300 words in English)
3. List of (proposed) artists and short bios
4. List of (proposed) works with introductions (limited to 200 words in Chinese or 100 words in English for each artwork)
5. Sketches and descriptions of the exhibition design
6. Descriptions of requirements regarding the preservation and display of the documents as well as the maintenance of artworks shall be submitted along with the submission package
7. Plan for other related events alongside the exhibition
8. A completed Budget Worksheet Form (can include, but is not limited to, the expenses for production, transportation, insurance, equipment, exhibition installation, design, promotion, travel, accommodation, public activity, artists’ fees and publication, etc.)

(Please go to the following page to download the CV template and floor plan. )
Link: https://pan.baidu.com/s/1SLK4zUmoZyMhf1bLvQY7Ow; Password: aa6u

Statement of Originality
The proposal shall be the participant’s original work and has not been exhibited publicly in any form in the past. The curator(s) shall be responsible for resolving any copyright issues and other liability issues related to artworks, archives, and images in order to avoid infringement of any third party’s copyrights, trademark rights and other intellectual property rights. Otherwise, OCAT Institute can suspend the project, and reserves the right to pursue further legal actions.

Evaluation Process
1.The evaluation is divided into two rounds: primary evaluation and reassessment.
2. The shortlisted curators will have the opportunity to participate in the "Shortlist Exhibition," which last 2-3 months, as well as in the selection of the winning project. The shortlist exhibitions should focus on the presentation of the proposal’s academic and curatorial approaches and its potentials as a complete exhibition.
3. During the "Shortlist Exhibition," the selected curators will travel to OCAT Institute in Beijing to participate in the curatorial workshop and present their submitted proposals to the committee. (Domestic travels in China will be reimbursed by the institute. Overseas candidates can participate online. The workshop may be held in the form of online meeting due to limitations.)
4. The committee is constituted of the OCAT Institute committee members led by Wu Hung, the chair of the Academic Committee at OCAT as well as the Executive Director of OCAT Institute, alongside guest consultants.
5. Results of primary evaluation will be announced by the OCAT Institute through its official website and WeChat platform in May 2022. Final results of the project will be decided in conjunction with the members of the committee, the guest consultants and the public’s review. Results will be announced within one month after the closing of the "Shortlist Exhibition."
6. During the exhibition preparation period, OCAT Institute reserves the right to disqualify candidates should they fail to fulfill the expected work or violate any relevant regulations of art museums or OCAT Institute.

Support
1. OCAT Institute will assist the selected candidates in preparing, implementing and promoting the exhibition.
2. OCAT Institute will organize a shortlist exhibition with a duration of 2–3 months for selected curators and provide each with a fund within RMB 20,000 (tax inclusive). Excess expenses shall be covered by the candidates themselves.
3. OCAT Institute will provide all available exhibition space for the final selected candidate(s) for 2-3 months, depending on the schedule of exhibitions at OCAT Institute.
4. OCAT Institute will provide a fund of 300,000 RMB (tax-inclusive) for the final selected candidate(s) of the Research-Based Curatorial Project. Any expense in excess of this shall be covered by the candidates themselves.
5. The OCAT Institute will provide guidance and assistance if the final selected candidate(s) intend(s) to produce an exhibition catalogue or other publications. The cost will be covered by the exhibition’s budget.

The expenditures shall be audited, approved by OCAT’s financial department, and within financial guidelines, in compliance with relevant state regulations.

Submission
1. Submission Deadline: 24:00 (GMT+8), April 10th, 2022.
2. Send submisison package files to curatingocatinstitute.org.cn, with the email subject heading of "Curatorial Project 2022 + name of the submitter."

Consulting email:
curatingocatinstitute.org.cn;
wangjunocatinstitute.org.cn

OCAT Institute reserves all right of final interpretation of this activity.

About "Research-Based Curatorial Project"
The “Research-Based Curatorial Project” is a program launched by OCAT Institute with the aim of encouraging curatorial research in conjunction with exhibition curating. Dedicated to discovering and facilitating art research programs and comprehensive exhibition of the research results, this curatorial project aims to provide practical opportunities for outstanding young scholars and curators in the fields of contemporary art and art history, and build a platform that promotes communications in the arena of the arts.

About OCAT Institute
The OCAT Institute is an independent non-profit research center dedicated to the history of art and its related discourses. It is also an integral part of the OCAT Museums. The Institute has three main areas of activity: publication, archive, and exhibition. The scope of its research encompasses Chinese art from antiquity through the modern and contemporary period. More specifically, it investigates artists, artworks, art movements, exhibitions, aesthetic discourses, as well as art institutions, publications, and other aspects of art’s overall ecology. It will establish a research archive and facilitate dialogue and exchange between China and abroad. In addition, it serves as an exhibition platform in Beijing.

The OCAT Institute aims to establish a paradigm of valuation, a framework of academic investigation, and a unique set of methods, for historically grounded research on modern and contemporary Chinese art. Its scholarly vision has at its core: knowledge, intellect, and research. It seeks to forge connectivities between traditional art history and research on modern and contemporary art, and support the translation and publication of critical works on art history. Through an interdisciplinary approach that bridges contemporary art research, critical theory, and the history of ideas and visual culture, it promotes an integrated methodology and an open spirit of academic research.