The PIGS Vote -What people said when asked

On Saturday 19. March the Curator's Battle took place at the Grimmuseum. Two curators, two shows, the same 8 artists. Both curators created a show with all 8 artists, they chose at title, formed a concept, wrote a curatorial text and gave instructions for set up. Both shows were inaugurated at the same time anonymously. "Stronger Magic" vs "Choreographed Coincidence", tagged the Black vs the White show. Throughout the opening visitors had a chance to vote on which show they considered "better curated", we also asked them to write down the reason why. Here is what they said. For the purpose of this documentation we chose to ommit which show each vote reffers too. But yeah, the winner was Chan, ok. It was Chan. 

-From the artist’s point of view it must be really interesting to see one’s work in such a new context/meaning. The aim to blur the autonomy of each artist was really successful.
-I guess the idea of motivating people to look at an exhibition in an opening situation wins over everything, but the light decision behind Stronger Magic is such a dominant one that it makes the curation very problematic for me. The Choreographed Coincidence is just presenting the works and it does not connect them. No one wins except whoever came up with the idea for this event.
-The space felt better utilized, more mysterious
-What was the problem with the light? Do you want to save energy?
-Poetic and dense approach .Very courageous. Holistic exhibition
-It makes the viewers talk about the art (and not about the beers they’re drinking)
-I like the way the works talk to each other. It’s a more organic environment.
-You get closer to the art physically and in your mind.
-It is more sensual!
-A renewal of curation and use of space; poetic and about the human situation on/off line
-More emotion, more fun, more playfulness and the work looks better in its own way
-The other one is a hot mess
-More mystery (not only because it’s dark!) a good one
-I like when someone smart makes the effort to tell me what to feel
-My intuition tells me that…
-The other one was too crowded. In addition the dark light created a silent atmosphere
-Chan, master of everything
-More accessible
-More charm
-Kicks ass! Love the talking clock guy
-Drew me in and it was more stimulating
-Excellence
-Because the other one is too cerebral and cold. This one speaks to mind, heart and guts
-It’s a coincidence!
-Interaction
-The black
-Love the lighting
-Full sensory experience
-Just because
-I love the manipulation of light and ties between works
-More interesting
-The idea of using objects that become other objects with the addition of shadows is very poetic. Dark and light are two different situations and different feelings.
-Stronger theme
-The black show focused on the art—the white show was too loud, people were just socializing. I didn’t really like either but appreciated the black show more
-Stronger Magic was more confusing and had more overlap but also had a strong metaphor of light/dark polarity and overlap
-The display was better suited to the projects
-Coherent
-It has a special … to put the light on and off in order to depict the border between the virtual and real world
-Has more atmosphere. I like the different shapes and constant changes.
-Good overview
-Moments of exciting interaction between light and dark
-The moment of seeing work after dark (the wait) is good
-Actually I liked it more only just (what a difficult choice!) because as a curated entity—as a collection of exhibited art pieces—it demonstrated a more cohesive and integrated interplay across the different works and provided more fertile ground for cross-pollination of concepts.
-Darkness will always win
-Even though it was not a great show, it did build a discourse through its selection and its (cramped) display. The other seemed to use a curatorial device at the expense of the artist
-The curator should look at the artworks before deciding on a concept.
-The black exhibit was scary and confusing and I could not read the paper…
-The other (which is also good) has too strong a curatorial voice
-I liked that the light went on and off
-Better works and better positioning of the pieces in a difficult space
-More experimental, something not found enough in exhibitions
-Really brought out the art where the other tried to be art itself.
-Hard to choose between an over-curated and a non-curated show!
-Better curated because you are more able to focus on the subject. It goes deeper, makes you think more because of the created ambience
-More reduced and more on point…
-The picture as a whole is stronger
-Better immersion and more impressive artwork
-Felt more put together
-Has the work of Darri Lorenzen
-The explanation makes sense
-Less is more
-I don’t want to choose
-I like the way people engage with the subject
-Coherence between works
-I like the mysterious and less crowded room. I could concentrate more on the artworks.
-More dense in a mystical sense. Both shows could have more relation to the German cultural background
-The light cycle brings you through different exhibitions in the same place
-More original concept
-The other room was flatly classic and not well worked spacially. Although there were still good artists doing a good job.
-It’s not curated
-The sleeping internet! And I like the use of light.
-I really liked the naked man painting.
-Both shows are terribly curated.
-Sexier
-Event exhibits the curators by offering two very different shows, one of them created by the curator entirely
-Die mit Türsteher war unbesichtbar. Die Krähe hat gelacht.
-Curator as an artist in an interesting concept
-Pieces are better
-The scenography works better with concepts
-The pieces interact with each other in a relevant way
-I won’t forget it
-Less pretentious
-Nichts nur 2 verschiedene Ausstelllungen inszeniert werden, sondern vielmehr der eintretende Besucher der groesstenteils damit beschaeftigt ist wie er die Arbeiten durch seine Praesenz zerstoert.
-The text way better
-Has better art
-The result was more compact and not as abstract as the other
-It wasn’t boring
-The artworks refer to each other well and create an ensemble
-The light atmosphere was very intense and cosy. It was not crowded inside
-A gimmick wins a gimmick
-Unconventional but obvious way to present the world today’s living
-Less chaotic better flow from one work to another
-It engages the gallery’s space
-It put the curator’s ego aside.
-It flows better but I guess the area it had was also was also better. I find it more attractive
-Although the artworks are now are not as interesting as the others, how they are curated is better
-Ignacio Uriarte’s piece is great. Way more interesting placement
-It’s discoverable
-Of the security guy’s moustache
-It is less pretentious
-I understand it and could see the beauty of arrangement and choice of pieces; coherence better observed
-The setting. I like to be restrained but in this case the black one was a bit too much.
-It’s more secure and more light and there is this wonderful thing hanging from the wall
-I think each individual work comes better to its own right
-The other show is more like one work
-I like photo frames very much. I hated darkness
-It is more fun
-More different aspects to look at
-Die Werke habe mir besser gefallen, sie hatten alle den Raum den sie brauchten um zu wirken, obwohl bei der anderen Ausstellung eine bessere Verknuepfung hergestellt wurde.
-Although I prefer single exhibits in the other show this exhibition worked better as a coherent and enchanting whole.
-The use of the limited space is well established.
-Piece number 3 reveals slowly the other pieces bringing to them value and life.
-The harmoniously correlate in the space. Perfect space use and conception
-There is a deeper relationship among the works and their hybridity gives as a final result a sensible exhibition closer to the concept of our contemporary condition
-The display and the arrangement of the art submerges the visitors into an unusual environment that invites reflexion
-The shell hangs together. It has a stage-set-like quality that inmerses the viewer in the work.
-Both the viewers and the pieces are challenged due to their relationship to one another and the light
-Sensory over all experience
-Die Kunstwerkt bekommen Zusammenhaenge und sind klar praesentiert, angenehm war die Ruhe Interessant/
-It works as a cohesive whole. Has a well articulated concept
-I feel the curator’s decision with the light and dark in the room collectively drew the works together and made for a stronger experience
-This is what I think
-Molto bello il lavoro di Bruzzone con il cerchio pero.
-It was better!
-Every work had space for itself but also fitted into the whole context of the show- not like the other show where the highlight was only on a few works
-Even though I really liked the big circle in the darker room I voted for the white one because I prefer the different work; loved number 3 and the pencils in number 2.
-Had a better selection of pieces by the artists and more interaction/overlap among the work
-Because the medium was the message…an experience with the art beautifully facilitated.
-I made it.
-It is really cool and fun… and Aaron is hott!
-More concise and has a clear concept, more beautiful too
-It is more low-key, poetic and gives the audience room to use their own imaginations
-For its aesthetic feeling/knowledge
-The works are connected and better presented
-Interesting night and day concept
-The light effect creative and mysterious and exciting atmosphere
-Also this show is more clearly composed
-More unusual display in a small space- beautiful concept with the computer piece and the light
-Everything fits together so well
-It seems like all the works could be from one artist
-More total comprehensible experience
-Shows us different dimensions and unexpected perspectives from an actual global theme that affects us individually and as a people
-The lighting forces the viewer to pause between pieces…there is a deliberate journey, less cluttered
-More interesting especially, visceral, subverts the role of the viewer in light of the context
-I didn’t like how the words were installed so as to interfere with each other. I find that the curatorial statement pulled the work together better. Also there was a sophistication in how paired down the display was.
-More immediate connection
-Curiatorially it is more fluent and aesthetically more appealing
-Surprise effect, has more secret, more concentrated.
-Better interaction between the works and the space.
-You could find more details and I really liked the effects in composing to the photographs.
-All in all the white was much more interesting
-More stimulating
-More to see, different positions. Better impression of the artist’s work
-I don’t like if someone tells me how to feel
-….is pretty cool. More interesting, more to think about.
-The pieces are better for me. More fun viewing living people as art.
-More open and cohesive
-Better use of the space and letting the works speak over the curator
-I felt something I could relate to. I could interact with the viewers and have conversations about the art while viewing it.
-I could easily differentiate one artist from another
-The way the light damages the works in the other gives a feeling of something not professional. You also don’t understand why the black is needed: the works don’t look like they need it to be shown.
-There is light to see in the artworks.
-The idea of the title works well with the artworks, not against it; the other show is great but some works feel displaced by the low light
-It had a bouncer
-There was light so I was actually able to see people and read stuff
-More variety
-I think it’s something about the bouncer.
-I don’t like the lights going dark because of dying
-It is more accessible than the works in the dark room
-Because of the work of Ignacio Uriarte
-Given the fact that an exhibition is a place where people meet and chat, the show was much better
-A word’s meaning depends on its use
-I prefer these works
-The people in the room look better
-I could see others react to it