Exhibition History from an Intersectional Perspective. Questions, Examples, and Some Suggestions

The lecture will be guided by the question of what an intersectional exhibition history can look like, and what methodological implications this has for art historical analysis. It will do so by first focussing on questions of canonization before it then turns to recent examples of museum collection presentations against the background of institutional attempts to engage in a self-critical or -reflexive practice and to reach a more diverse audience. The talk aims to exemplify the interdependency of curatorial practice and art historiography by also including aspects of art education, and institutional policy. Intersectional exhibition history therefore will be understood as an interdisciplinary endeavour that also takes into account the specific historical and discursive context of each exhibition.

Fiona McGovern is an art historian, writer and curator. Her work and research interests include (artistic) exhibition practice and history, ethics of curating, and interdisciplinary approaches in the arts since the 1960s. Following her junior professorship in curatorial practice and art education at the University of Hildesheim, she is currently a guest professorship in exhibition studies at the Kunsthochschule Kassel and has lectureships at the University of Zurich and the University of Hildesheim.

The lecture is part of the internal workshop Exhibition History and Intersectionality on the occasion of the upcoming thematic issue of the same name for kritische berichte (fall 2025), edited by Maria Bremer (Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst Wien/Ruhr-Universität Bochum) and Isabelle Lindermann (Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien).

The lecture will be held in English.