The Edge of Everything: Reflections on Curatorial Practice

Few public venues exist for the contemplation of curatorial research and development in Canada, and there are even fewer forums for reflection by Canadian curators within an international context. The Edge of Everything is the result of a book project designed by Catherine Thomas to provide such a space for curators. It is a surprising collection of political, personal, quirky and humorous commentary by Canadian and international curators on their individual practices. The collection is (as Canadian curator Ihor Holubizky writes) a chain of incidents, heliocentric worlds at the edge of everything. From the pathos of Anthony Kiendl's approach to curatorial work, to the punk origins of Matthew Higgs's work, and the contemplation of Aboriginal curatorial practice in Canadian institutions, independent curator and art historian, Catherine Thomas has collected a fantastic sampling of thoughts on curatorial work. The curator surfaces from this book as a figure who dwells both in the institutions of the art world, and also in its fissures, its edges and gaps--as Matthew Higgs writes--between the audience and the stage, between the spectacle and its reception. Revealing, often funny and, above all, sincere, this collection explores the critical and personal motives of a varied group of senior and emerging Canadian and international curators.--Christina Ritchie, Director/Curator, Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver.