Postgraduate of Asia - Europe Cultural Curatorship Studies

Postgraduate of Asia - Europe Cultural Curatorship Studies

​Cultural curators not only reflect on meaning but contribute to debates and new understandings. The cultural curator is increasingly both a knowledge creator and a communicator. As knowledge creator s/he experiments with different formats, different ways of experiencing while creating different meanings. The contemporary curator challenges old formats by re-inventing novel ones that often build on history and previous experiences. As a communicator s/he is able to convey the rich curatorial data to a larger public both on- and offline. So, curating today means also taking care of (im)material culture, of social relationships, urban interactions and of cultural politics. In the Asia - Europe Cultural Curatorship Studies Postgraduate programme, University of Antwerp aims to provide prospective Asian and European students the knowledge and skills to become contemporary curators in the art, cultural and/or artisanal sector. It focuses on translation and cultural mediation between Asian and European cultural and political traditions. The programme is situated at the intersection of (social, political, economic and ecological) context, culture and creativity with a main focus on hands-on experience. It combines a unique blend of insights, perspectives, methods and tools. The basic premise of the programme is to endorse the powerful resources of cultural diversity, arts, craftsmanship and creativity in the contemporary society of disruptive transition. It teaches students to use culture as a critical toolbox and as a base of society to reflect and act upon contemporary social challenges. And it helps to understand local cultural policy contexts. The programme aligns with article 8 of the Unesco’s Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity cultural goods are ‘vectors of identity, values and meanings, not mere commodities or consumer goods’.