While there seems to be inexhaustible funds for the big names in curating—Gao Shiming, Li Zhenhua et al.—young curators face a constant struggle to gain both experience and recognition. “It seems there are few curatorial majors at the universities…and curators often lack a systematic approach, just throwing a bunch of artists together,” says assistant curator Wang Fei. The Shanghai Power Station of Art (PSA) is seeking to remedy this situation by offering a curatorial competition—the winners of which will be exhibited on the fifth floor of the PSA during the Shanghai Biennale.

The competition defines “young” as anyone born after 1970, which could mean a curator as old as 44. The age limit also applies to the artists participating in the exhibition, and curators must be Chinese nationals or overseas Chinese. These qualifications aside, there are no limits on content or medium. Participants need to provide a bilingual, 2500-5000 character proposal for the 410 sqm space, including a detailed budget and exhibition design plan.

The three winners will receive RMB 330,000 to complete their projects, along with support and guidance from the museum staff. Proposals have already started to trickle in before the May 31st deadline and will be judged by the PSA’s academic committee. This is a laudable effort in a country so dominated by a few big name curators—and surprising from a state museum. We look forward to seeing the efforts of China’s young curatorial blood, come November 2014.

Info Link: http://test.powerstationofart.org/en/exhibition/detail/47bdow.html