ON THE CURATOR: EXCERPT FROM A ZEIT INTERVIEW WITH GERMAN ARTIST DANIEL RICHTER
Richter: … Because that is what most artists do: They bore me and take me for a fool. They are a lot less interested in the choice of media than in what their art pretends to illustrate. And they`re interested in catalogue essays, of course, providing everything from Agamben to Žižek that could possibly impress. That is what especially the curators get exited about.
ZEIT: How do you mean?
Richter: Curators are always searching for dissertation guides to art. For them artists perspectives are only an expression of theses. I`m not interested in these curator-exhibitions. I don`t attend biennials, triannials or manifestas, either.
ZEIT: But aren`t these the exact places of the presence that you are searching for?
Richter: I prefer seeing exhibitions for whom the artist really worked. Just like I prefer reading a novel instead of a collection of short stories.
ZEIT: And how about current political issues, that are debated on biennilas – wouldn`t these interest you?
Richter: That is a question of time, maybe. If I´m interested in the history of the 20th century, I have to decide whether I should read Eric Hobsbawm, John Keegan or Alain Badiou or whether I should see an exhibition dispraising Tschadors. I prefer reading books by people who are substantially engaged in a topic. An exhibition cannot achieve what a good book can achieve. (laughing)
http:www.zeit.de/2011/39/Interview-Richter Translated from the german.
