Jiri Kovanda Versus Rest Of The World

gb agency
20 rue Louise Weiss Paris, Sept – Oct 2006
curated by Guillaume Désanges and François Piron


I have been to gb agency a number of times. At the opening of a group show there I asked a friend/critic to explain the idea. He told me to wait and went to talk to the gallerist. After more than five minutes he returned and relayed the gallerist’s words with much detail. I see the gallerists there talking to everyone.

I was there recently to see this show and wanted the list of works. The gallerist asked if I knew the artist’s work and then spent a considerable amount of time explaining the works and the curatorial concept to me. I didn’t feel mistaken for a collector and I appreciated that the gallery takes seriously their role as ‘agency’, as action and medium between the artist’s work and the audience in a one-on-one interaction. Unusual in this time, such a positive gesture towards speech and contact.
Jacqueline Riva

Interview with Pelin Uran

Continuing the discussion about curator/artist studio visits SPEECH asks Istanbul based independent curator Pelin Uran a few questions.

'During my first studio visits I did not have any idea of the dynamics or power relations taking place, therefore I was not picky at all. It was simply about getting to know the works of the artist.' click here to read the interview