Sarah Walko: Curator Q&A

Could you talk a bit about your background and what inspired you to become a curator?

I love working with artists and always have. When I was growing up I loved looking at books with artwork in it and all of my art classes. Going to art school in college and for grad school, I was then always surrounded by them and therefore - surrounded by their inspiration and creative investigations. I think artists' work is so important in the world and it is what gives us hope and pushes the needle forward and I want to support that and back it in every way that I can. I also always knew I wanted to do work in the world in creative fields because it keeps me energized and motivated and doing something like that every day is so fulfilling. I also look at art and the work that artists do as something so essential and transformative. It is creating a better world. 

What are the main influences for your work? What do you do, or where do you go to find creative inspiration?

Storytelling and literature are a huge influence for me and also a big creative inspiration. But I mean that in the most democratic way - because visual art, music and all fields truly have stories upon stories within them. I love taking in museum exhibitions of all kinds, not just art museums. And I LOVE libraries and bookstores. I get a lot of inspiration learning about artist's processes and their biographies - how their lives shaped them, how they push themselves to do their work, how they approach the world with such unlimited imaginations on what they can make for it. That is a wealth of inspiration for me. 

Could you describe your curatorial approach and has your curatorial vision changed over the years? And could you speak about what makes an exhibition interesting to you?

I gravitate towards work that contains a lot of paradoxes - work that is both challenging and accessible, work that I think has a symphonic depth to it in that there are many many ways to enter it from wherever the viewer is coming from. I think that kind of work gives and it keeps giving. I think my curatorial vision has changed over the years as the world has changed - intense political climates, rising climate change threats, and this year - a global pandemic. I like seeing artists creating during challenging or conflicting times because I think it helps all of us process what we are going through and it's incredibly necessary for our health and collective psyche. I love artists that bring in new directions to conversations, elevate the dialogues and also artists that bring out the hard things we need to face about ourselves in our histories or cultures and ones who bring in the magic and mysteries and unknowns all mixed into the conversation too. I love work that makes you utterly forget yourself and your small narrative and reminds us of a vast, expansive bigger picture. I love work that feels like a form of reparative justice and work that brings in a healing element too.  

Could you talk a bit on your thoughts to current approaches to curating, including your curatorial process and your thoughts and interest in transcultural exhibitions?

It's an interesting time as because of the pandemic and subsequent shutdown, there are so many virtual exhibitions and that's a different experience to curate. But, I love the accessibility of it. And of course, despite barriers we all have to keep going on so it's interesting to see all of the different approaches. So much of the virtual content and exhibitions we see all over the place now because of the shut down - much of it will remain even after the pandemic so it's interesting to see it all evolve and how it has changed the art world. We live in such a global world now so it's wonderful to see artists making work from whatever their background or education or culture is and then showing it all over the world, the differing contexts adding layers of discussion or ways of seeing and interpreting it - and make it richer or illuminate various aspects of it in beautiful ways. 

Could you speak about your curatorial approach for On Eternities Tablets? How has your experience been curating for an online exhibition as opposed to a physical exhibition?

I've been working with and closely following the work of Anne Katrine Senstad for over a decade now. As an artist, she's prolific and profound and her work constantly evolves and it is so fascinating to be able to remain in dialogue with her as it does. I miss the physical exhibitions and the ability to experience the art in person and virtually, does feel different. But, creating the virtual walk through gave me the ability to spend time really thinking on her work even if I could not experience it in the same way as I would in person. We went back and forth on the title for a while and I love that we ended up with On Eternities Tablets because that's the exact tone I think the exhibition has - something infinite, eternal, wise, and although it points to something ancient, Anne's work is based in light and is minimalist and therefore it has a beautiful ancient/ futuristic feel to it. That's how Anne's work feels to me, like something that beckons past wisdom and lights a path towards the future. Also that title is from a Norwegian poet and written in a time when he was reflecting on the human condition during crisis in the time he was living in. So, again - there is this dialogue in time between his poetry and her work now. And the words convey that what is important and what remains and even what we remember, is etched beautifully on eternity. I also liked thinking about and writing about the three different bodies of work in the exhibition and how they all show a scope of Senstad's work as well as different ways she investigates her ideas and explores mediums. As a curator it's always great to jump from one body of work to another but hold onto the threads that weave through each to get a fuller understanding of the artist's larger vision. It's that larger vision that feels like an endless pool to delve into and reflect upon and following an artist's work through decades and hopefully, a lifetime, allows a level of in-depth genuine understanding that you cannot get with just a quick viewing of or writing about just one piece for example. You can see it and read it on a whole other level and that was what I got to experience curating this show, which was really fulfilling. 

@sarahwalko

On Eternities Tablets
Curated by Sarah Walko
OPENART Solo Virtual Exhibition
24 November - 28 February 2021

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Image courtesy of the curator.