Independent Curators International (ICI) supports the work of curators to help create stronger art communities through experimentation, collaboration, and international engagement. Curators are arts community leaders and organizers who champion artistic practice; build essential infrastructures and institutions; and generate public engagement with art. Our collaborative programs connect curators across generations, and across social, political and cultural borders. They form an international framework for sharing knowledge and resources — promoting cultural exchange, access to art, and public awareness for the curator’s role.
Karen Obling
Karen Obling is a Nairobi-based, Danish freelance art-writer and curator with a background in art history and cultural communication from the University of Copenhagen. In 2011 she established the Addis Rumble blog striving to uncover hidden cultural endeavors and treasures from East Africa and share them with the rest of the world. The blog serves as a platform for information on what is occurring in East African countries within the arts, and aims to present outsiders with alternative ideas and images of the countries represented. While living in Ethiopia, Karen curated two successful exhibitions entitled Notions of Peace I & II, in collaboration with six artists from the Netsa Art Village artist collective. Karen is also working on various freelance projects, including a photographic exhibition entitled Soul of an Ethiopian Woman.
involved in:
Curatorial Intensive in Johannesburg
Developed by Independent Curators International in collaboration with the Bag Factory Artists’ Studios, the Curatorial Intensive: Contemporary Curatorial Practice will examine the pragmatics of organizing exhibitions, while addressing the specificities of curating in the African context.
read more »