In Curating Monsters, Before publication 12, Cristina Ricupero uses the figure of Frankenstein as a common thread to explore and share her curatorial practice. Finding a link between Mary Shelley's composite monster and the creative principle of an exhibition, where often a very large and diverse corpus of works multiplies occurrences, which combine, respond to each other and generate a reflection capable of broadening perspectives and critical commentaries. The themes chosen are often topical or even intuitive, which attests to her singularity as a curator.
Through an analysis of four historic and emblematic exhibitions—the First International Dada Fair, International Surrealist Exhibition, First Papers of Surrealism and the Surrealist gallery at Peggy Guggenheim's gallery Art of This Century– produced between 1920 and 1942, Cristina Ricupero revisits some of her projects and highlights her favorite themes: secret societies (Secret Societies, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt and CAPC Bordeaux, 2011–2012), the links between art and crime (The Crime Was Almost Perfect, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam et PAC-Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea, Milan, 2014) the world of espionage (We Never Sleep, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, 2020–2021) and enthusiastic awkwardness in art in the exhibition Ridiculously Yours? ! Art, Awkwardness and Enthusiasm (Bundeskunsthalle Bonn, Deichtorhallen / Falckenberg Collection, Hamburg; the Halle für Kunst Steiermark, Graz; Neue Galerie Graz Halle für Kunst Steiermark, Graz, 2022–2024). Not to mention that this recurring underlying idea of monstrosity enables her to envisage the exhibition as a body in mutation, where each element organically participates in the construction of a coherent whole, which Cristina Ricupero sees above all as a space for critical questioning of art and society.
Published in the Before publication series, which gathers authors' texts or artists' inserts.
Cristina Ricupero is an independent curator and an art critic. She lives and works in Paris. Her international exhibitions include:
Ridiculously Yours?! Art, Awkwardness and Enthusiasm (with
Jörg Heiser), Halle für Kunst Steiermark, Graz (2023), Deichtorhallen/Sammlung Falckenberg, Hamburg (2023) and Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn (2022);
We Never Sleep, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt (2020);
Divided We Stand (avec Jörg Heiser), 9th Biennal of Busan (2018);
Nuit Blanche, Monaco (2016). She was a consultant for the 9th Seoul Mediacity Biennale (2016);
The Crime Was Almost Perfect, Witte de With, Rotterdam (2014) and PAC-Milan, Milan (2014);
New Ways of Doing Nothing (with Vanessa Joan Müller), Kunsthalle Vienna (2014);
Suspicious Minds, Galeria Vermelho, São Paulo (2013);
Cosmic Laughter No. 1 – Timewave zero, then what? (with
Fabian Marti), Ursula Blickle Stiftung (2012), Kraichtal-Unteröwisheim (2012);
Secret Societies, Schirn Kunsthalle, Francfort and
CAPC Bordeaux (2011).
