Seminar 5 - Kyoung-Shin Park (Adjunct professor, School of Law, Ewha Womans University)

It's not easy to claim rights to conceptual plans and written proposals. Claiming copyright for exhibitions raises questions as to whether it is appropriate for curators to possess the copyright and ownership of an exhibition created through cooperation with various people. Nevertheless, there must be an affinity between the exhibition curator and copyright because the curator’s intellectual and immaterial work and effort can only be acknowledged and recognized when there is clear attribution and protection. This not only triggers a curator’s respect for copyrights, but also motivates them to protect the rights of artists and artist’s works. Such social device can help curators to experiment with the styles and forms of exhibitions in a safe manner.

- Seunga You (DCW 2023)

Starting with the premise that it is difficult for curators to be protected by copyright, the seminar investigated various copyright conflicts and the precise meaning of words and sentences that are easily overlooked in a contract. The subsequent discussion around the importance of writing a contract and giving credit prompted further thoughts on mutual trust between coworkers, curators, and artists as well as their rights, acknowledgment, and compensation. Despite the importance of drafting a detailed, accurate contract, it is still not easy to create documents, make assertions, negotiate, and persuade in an environment where budgets and schedules are tight and public and private relations are inseparable. Nevertheless, during the exhibition production and post-production stages it is essential to provide official protection and support for exhibition organizers through paperwork.

- Sangyeop Rhii (DCW 2023)

The session with Professor Kyoung-Shin Park was a chance for those connected to curators in any capacity to consider “compromise” and “conflict resolution.” At the same time, it deepened our understanding of copyrights, which had always been an unfamiliar and serious subject. When working as a curator, there are always multiple contracts that should be prepared, but it’s not easy to determine what rights we can claim or see all possible outcomes of those contracts. The seminar prompted us to question and reflect on the multiple ways that the official sentences we’ve drafted and recorded might be interpreted, and whether such interpretations are valid. At the same time, it was discouraging to have to accept that curators cannot claim copyright to exhibition plans, which are relegated as ideas that do not have ownership. Discouragement affects many curators, inhibiting their momentum. However, it may also be the curator’s role to find a point of compromise that can be accepted by all the parties involved.

- Jieon Lee (DCW 2023)