Localized Curatorial Discourse and "International" Standards: A Case Study of the Shanghai Waves Exhibition at a Chinese Art Museum

This article, under the interdisciplinary studies of museology and cultural sociology, focuses on the "Shanghai Waves: Historical Archives and Works of Shanghai Biennale" held at the Shanghai Power Station of Art. By analyzing the exhibition theme, curatorial narratives, displayed artworks, and other related curatorial tactics of this exhibition, along with visitor studies and thematic analysis, this study illustrates the curators' attempts to pursue a localized curatorial discourse formation. The research argues that, on one hand, the curatorial strategies in the retrospective exhibition underscore the curators' cultural awareness and their experimental pursuits in a "modern" interpretation of Chinese art. On the other hand, this research also questions the efficiency of using monolithic "internationally standardised" curatorial strategies in non-Western countries, suggesting that further geographically characterized curatorial and educational support is necessary for the Chinese domestic visitors to go through the exhibition.