Berlin Outpost | Interview with curator Joan Lee

Here in Berlin we had the pleasure to have a chat with Joan Lee, an independent young curator coming from New York. We met her at GlogauAIR, a nonprofit artist residency and project space, in the context of Soohyun Choi’s solo exhibition, I call you this you call me that. Joan curated the show that ran until the 25th January.

Joan Lee, Soohyun Choi, GlogauAIR, Berlin, art residency, curatorship, interview

Exhibition view:
Soohyun Choi, I call you this you call me that
Curated by Joan Lee at GlogauAIR

ELEONORA CASTAGNA: From New York to London (Lee received a Master in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy from Goldsmiths University this year), then Berlin… Here a pretty obvious question: why did you choose to move and live here?

JOAN LEE: When I moved back to New York, I was looking for a community as well as affordable project spaces. New York will always be special to me, but at the moment I understood I needed a change of pace and landscape. I visited Berlin by chance on my way to see documenta14, and immediately fell in love with the city – I was drawn to its art scene, which is very international and cool but at the same time local, accessible and has its own feel. It’s still a place that has room for experimentation.

EC: Is this your very first experience as an independent curator in Berlin? How did you end up choosing to propose an exhibition at GlogauAIR?

JL: It’s my first show in Berlin. GlogauAIR initially interested me because of its collaborative attitude towards artists and the public – they have a residency and open studios every three months; later I found out that it used to be a public school building before part of the building was destroyed in the war. We wanted to work with a space that allowed freedom in the sense of time, space and expenses.

Exhibition view:
Soohyun Choi, I call you this you call me that
Curated by Joan Lee at GlogauAIR

EC: Talking about Soohyun Choi’s solo show, “I call you this you call me that:” when I read the presentation of the exhibition you wrote I noticed a strong reference to the control that language exerts in every culture (in this particular case, you refer to English and Korean, which you speak because of your roots and education). I would like you to deepen this topic, starting from your own personal experience as a writer (Lee is also a poet and the founder of Cold Cut Magazine, an art and prose publication).

JL: When I first met Soohyun, I was struck by her work because I hadn’t noticed before how structured the honorific system in Korean language is. Even as a Korean speaker, I had never fully understood how relationships could be shaped by the way you refer to someone, and how social hierarchy and power dynamics can be embedded in simple speech. My own writing touches upon on questions of narration, memory and displacement; it’s made me more sensitive to the implications of conventional speech and cultural memory/association in the English language.

EC: Which are the other strong interests and research you’ve developed as a curator?

JL: I’ve learned much from studio visits, conversations with artists, and endless books of good literature. As a curator, I’ve developed an interest in finding points of connection between the visual and the poetic, the artistic and the social, medium and philosophy, and so on. I strive to find new ways of understanding relationality.

EC: As a young curator who recently moved to Berlin, I would like you to suggest to our readers a way to “artistically” explore this city.

JL: To look at some art, I suggest going to gallery exhibitions and open studios at universities, which are free. Artist residencies here often have performances and open studios which I love, because it’s so intimate and special to be able to view work in the stages of experimentation. I also recommend bars where there are music performances, screenings and the occasional pub quiz at night. There are many independent film screenings all over Berlin, showing at cinemas, bars and clubs. Following word of mouth is important here!