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This thesis focuses on exploring the affective curatorial strategies in transhistorical exhibitions. The Double Act exhibition (2022) in the Centraal Museum Utrecht serves as the case study of this qualitative research. This exhibition showcases the juxtaposition of two collections that differ in origin, history, and medium. Paintings by Utrecht masters from the seventeenth century sit next to contemporary video art from the Kramlich collection. In addition to its transhistorical nature, this exhibition focuses on human emotions as its overarching theme and engages with the viewers’ emotions.
To understand how affective curatorial strategies are used to create transhistorical exhibitions, firstly the transhistorical phenomenon in regard to exhibitions is thoroughly investigated. This research identifies the three unique characteristics of transhistorical exhibitions; disruption, reactivation, and relationality. Secondly, the concept of affect is explored in the context of museums and curatorial efforts. As part of the methodological approach, a situational analysis is performed to look at the curatorial efforts in the Double Act exhibition. An investigation of the transhistorical phenomenon and the affective turn in conjunction with an interview with the exhibition’s curator, Bart Rutten, work as the foundation for the analysis of the exhibition.
The curatorial efforts in this exhibition are thoroughly analyzed from two perspectives through the notion of affective curatorship by Marzia Varutti. The first perspective looks at the theme and the selection of artworks which will be investigated through the concept of framing by Mieke Bal. This perspective looks at the different framings present in the exhibition and how the curator created connections among artworks. The second perspective explores the design aspect of the exhibition through the lens of emotional design by Donald Norman. The design choices are investigated on the three levels of visceral, behavioural, and reflective as proposed by Norman.
In conclusion, by exploring the transhistorical phenomenon and by looking at affect in the context of exhibition-making this thesis can open up the space for new curatorial strategies that help the curators to break away from conventional approaches such as genre, medium, or era. These exhibitions can invite a wider range of audiences to museums, creating more inclusive exhibitions. Additionally, the analytical framework encourages the curators to see affect as an open space for experimentation to engage viewers on a deeper level.
Key words: transhistorical phenomenon, affective curatorship, framing, emotional design
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