In a special “Brut Neuve” issue of Blackflash (Vol. 35.2, May – September 2018), Victoria-based cultural geographer and guest editor Rhiannon Herbert assembles a number of articles that “look forward (and below, and sideways) to where [time and lens-based] creative content […] is going” (6). Among the features is a “Between Two Curators” dialogue between Golboo Amani and Francisco-Fernando Granados entitled “On-Line On-Screen Live Stream: Curating Performance in Cyberspace,” where the two reflect on their experiences as the curators of 7a*md8. The article offers a “text-based conversation about different contextual aspects of the [7a*md8] curatorial platform ranging from the intuitions that initiated the project and themes that emerged in the works throughout the different programs, to the broader political and ethical implications of online curation” (35). Here’s a few excerpts to whet your interest:

Though many of the artists were already professional social media producers, they expressed anxieties around developing social media content as commissioned art works. These reservations reflect the barriers often experienced by marginalized voices when attempting to establish cultural legitimacy. Virtual space becomes the site of visibility for the many practices left out of the institutional framework. —GA (38).

In terms of identity, I think it’s also important to think about how the broader politics of these platforms place marginalized identities into a double bind. What kind of agency do artists have as image-makers in relationship to the broader currents of power that shape the flow of information within the platform? […] Are there limits or caveats to the practices of self-fashioning that have been enabled? Is there room for moments of abstraction or refusal within bodily action?—FF (39).