UNSOLVED HISTORIES IT WAS EXCITING tofind Artfonom ‘opening debate on exhibition histories ineelaton to arhstors via Clie Bishop's review ofthe ewo-volume “Making Art Global (March 2014) the second and fourth books in Neral’ Exhibition Histories series. The Afterall approach to the new feld dies somewhat fom Bishops, and Thought some comments on the distinctions might be of ners. “The plurality ofexhibition histories, in place ofa monolihicexhibcon hs tory is important ea the Afterall del, Something ofthis plurality is epee Seared in an importanceaey book Bishop does aoe mention in ee sum mary ofthe eal eratre i the ld, Perhapsonly bees she restrict her selfto books in English Die Kunst der ‘Austelbong (The Art of Exhibitions, 1991), edited by Bernd Kliser and Katharina Hegewisch, is significant for us because, unlike Brace Alshuler’s ensuing monograph and lan Dualop’s before it diferent authors—with diferent approaches to wriing—ere invited to. convey the bistory of difer ent contemporary art exhibitions of the wensieth centurs: Contrary tothe way Bishop zeads them, each volume in Aferalls book series brings several ‘voices to bear on the same exhibition be cluster of exhibions, Within and cross hooks, no single historiographic mode is insted on ‘Aftecll eects exhibition histories san “arthistorcal subgenre.” One ofthe tantalizing peospects ofthis ascent el is tha, distinc rom ast history, and indeod caratrial studies, itis developing across worldwide net work of ntisnves rather han Being senealogically rooted in North America tnd Western Europe. Another shat, Contrary to Bishop assertions, elit tion bistrier does not necessarily mean 2 focus on insiutonal stactares atthe expends ofat—the work af nsealogy, forinsance, may pay roe, bat she defining poines to analyze arin is becoming public, 2 iteakes shape in collective experince and kinds debate, Tnermsof issues mor specific to ‘the exhibitions considered in Afteral tired volumes, Think itis imporeant ‘fo emphasize tha "Magicien de a ‘Terre (1989) was billed as “the ist Worldwide exhibition of contemporary at," notas “the worlds fest global are show." The difference is more cri ‘han it might inal sem, given the distinct philosophical implications of global and worldwide, Actually, Bishop's slip appeastoaatoralize the ‘very case she suggest my own conti= bution tothe books overstates. As argued by Peter Osborne a year ago, forinstance: “Globalization represents anew spatializaion of historical tem poralicy:a mapping of planetary whole: ‘es globe’ onto tha ieeducbly ‘henomenclogial concept of world ‘hat emerged in the course of European colonialism to peovide the geographical space ofthe concep of history.” Bishop's description of "Magicins” as almost universally panned” nad- ‘vertendy perpetuates something of what She describes with the term ethnocentric ‘rime Specially she sems to assume ‘that what's published in one's own lat guage counts forall that is wren. Her statements surprising, given the inte. national press reviewed in Making Art Global Part 2) Magicens dela Tere? 1989, and also in light ofthe paper given by Gayatri Chakeavorty Spivak uring the show (and published forthe firs time inthe Afterall book), which offers carefally measured eesponse thar eannor be described as a panning, (One of Spivak’ points alo reiterates the significance ofthe “worldwide” (as ‘opposed to “global” claim made the ‘srapline forthe show-—an aggument ‘that draws on Heidegger before offer inga gendered critique, in French, of ‘world (le monde in elation tthe land (laere eferenced inthe show's Butmy point hee is no that when, panned the exibition dd no deserve Critcim—nor tat Spvale forinetance, defended ic against failigs—but rather that appraisal of ts rial ecep- tion demands greater appreciation of slebate, and in more than one language ‘More speculatively, if unqueston ingly, Bishop describes “Magicins” by ‘contrasting it with the Third Havana Biennial ofthe same ea, saying that the forme show “inated the safari? model of curatorial esearch,” and going ‘onto elaborate how cuzatrJean‘Hebert Martin's team "divided the world nto continents and set out. fnd arin farflung places to bring back o Pacis.” Yer che euratoral esearch method ‘might eqully be described wing words writen by Gerardo Mosquera on that biennial (a commissioned for Making ‘Art Global [Part 1) The Third Havana Biennial 1989): He and the est ofthe team “uavelled theoaghout diferent "eons in the world and came back ‘with formation ad recommenda: sions... the lobe was divided ince zones in which different ienal curators specialized.” Atthe same time, she mises the significance ofthe transnational dimension of workwide—indced sb- sequently globalized curating, which Thelieve marks out *Magiciens dela Torre" asan exhibition and makes ia conspicuously “vision led product,” however familiar and dystopian chat vision might now seem. Traneationalion i this contexe means tha the curatorial researc was undertaken without pi mary recourse to an ntenational net work ofmationalembasisin order to make the necessary cultural inodetions, and hac atiss were likewise independently funded from the exhib tion budget o come and make or install thie work inst has become something of local cliché to rubbish "Magiion del Terre ‘unthinking beso sweprup by the later wave of global art shows inthe ‘West as 0 miss how eadieal ts transna- ‘ional ambition fle atthe time, abt in the fac of sgnifcan as that might broadly be deseribed s neocolonial. I isalo something of «paradox to crit- ‘ze the show fr “lumping rogether works fom various regions and ad- ‘ons under the rubvic of contemporary are and thes—as a professor ofcon- ‘temporary art (and theory and exhib tion hisory} to crave more information bout the work that eutfers most under this banner, “the more atisnalprac- tices” which came from not only ‘Alia, Asai and South America buralso Asa and indigenous commusi- ties of North Ameria) For more on Arica and Australian workin the show that might be described as suc, Iwould rec Bishop othe films by Php Haas, coproduce bythe Centre Pompidow, thar pre the practies fen conti: Uting artis. As she might have noticed, chairaltare—which she appreciates in dialogue with contemporary arin the “Tres Mundos” (Three Worlds) show aspartof the Third Havana Biennial ‘ofthe same year—were present in "Magic," a5 contributed by Patrick Vile. For more on Vilare’s work there are again nic sources: A mono traphic std wa screened inthe Pomp cinema in 1989 as part of the extensive program that accompanied the show (na session tiled "Hai and ‘the Vodun Cul”) Lean only egret that in tempting an evenhanded dircussion ‘of work bythe hundred or so contrib ‘ors tothe showg my oven essay in ‘Making Av Global (Part 2) cold not hhaveconveyed more information with: ‘ut becoming unwieldy. “Turning specifically othe Third Havana Bienial, there are terminologi= taland geographic slippagesn Bishops text that seem worthy ofa bref note Forexample, she describes pariular ‘emphasis being given to connectivity betseen aris in Africa and South America, wheres the regulations republished inthe Afterall bok, from the show's catalog, ag both broader and more pasticula concerns, wth “Africa, Asia the Caribbean and Latin “America” identified and this scope is ‘represented in the finalist of more than five hundeed aris. Geves Kapur’ par "Sipstionin the opening conference, alongside further speakers such as ‘Mirko Lauer, underlines this extended seography (both papers are published in their enizey in the book). More broad Bishop describes the Havana projectashaving “proposed an alterna: tive nework of cultral exchange for the Global South,” whereas he shetoric ‘ofthe time did not yeeconcern the Glbsl South but insead—signifcanly and proudly, while not unproblematically— ‘theshird world, This later tem was Jntroduced inthe 1950510 insist on independence fom the Cold Wat ‘inary betwen the US and the USSR, yetitsoon became denigrated by hose inthe st world eho proclaimed hierarchy and announced that what ‘was connoted was poverty of esourees, ‘or third rank in terme of development. “There isa isk that neler ofthis ten indicates, more generally an engage: ret with non-Western structures nd Practices that n seeking polemics sac ‘ces etal cae, ‘Mote promising this helps ro for ground alle of all she urgent wore that neds tobe done in the emerging feld of exhibition histories, Here Alteralls own endeavor most beset within a worldwide context that inclides for instance the conference programming ad online databasing ‘Work of Asia Art Archive, the pan [Alsican esearch of the Chimiorenga itive and the independent but related work fhe Archiv des Festival Panafrcains research projet based in Paris at the CNRS and EHESS), Look forward to seing how allthis will be represented in Artforam nthe future Lacy Steeds Coeditor, Afterall: Exhibition Histories Claire Bishop responds: es great to have so much more detalto ‘add to the already exhaustive descrip- tion of “Magiciens de a Tere” ava- able Making Are Global (Par), (risit? Does’ tis ter just ream tha exhibition bistory needs to move eights beyond a worthy array offcts? Imagine how much more otllectualy srvigorating t would be to read about the changing status of ransnationalisms (from “Privin” to "Magicens" 0 Havana and comtemporary biennial) ‘and 1 be offered a forced positon ‘on this flow-—a argument that ever speaks to other dsciplnes—vather ‘than being eft 0 drow i relentless sccunsulation of mint as Lg at ‘my orignal eviews Tn reluctant to keep adding to ‘thie mountain, but here’ a hand of points. Fam familiar with Die Kunst der Aasellang, which largely comprises ‘anecdotal essays by canators speaking ‘bout their wn sav lan Hoe, ‘Ache Bosito Oliva, Harald Sseme, tc) t0 pris this as pobyocality s luderous, and Afterall itself shor Dy claiming this asa model If exhibition ator tet an art istorcal subgenre, then pleas tell me, what isitt Afterall aren't publishing books on exhibitions of anything other than art. Steeds basa ‘arcu blsered idea of art bstory if she thinks the disciplines just Euro ‘American. (Her point seams to be more about branding and tritoriaization ‘th about any profound methodol cal eifference.) My ist drafe ofthe review mentioned Spuak’s contribution asratherroteand preprepared, topped and tailed wit ferences to few ‘works nthe show; the only memorable ‘moments the feminist point about terre that Steeds mentions above. Ever o,f hard to see what Spivak = distin tion beuween mondeandterte has 0 do with my “sip from worldwide 0 lobal: mondial isthe word wsed in he exhibition’ French publiciy material, ‘and canbe translated int English both “plobul” and "worldwide" ' bet thai 1989 the ference beeen the ‘too was yet tobe theorized: tay rate, its ahistorical to prove this pont by {quoting Peter Osborne 2013. [could 007, but I've just fallen aseep.C1