the curator’s hand

In this sequence of photographs, the gloved hand grasping the stone acts as a metaphor for the way we choose and select what should be given value and status in society.  The gloved hand may also connote the hand of a Magician where, by sleight of hand and misdirection, the Magician diverts attention from one thing whilst manipulating another.  

Curation is an act of power. The privilege of ‘selecting’ gives value and status. Through that expression of power things can be made visible or invisible. In this way inequalities in society, for example in race or gender, are reinforced through deeply embedded ways of thinking which reflect value and status – controlled by the ‘curators’ of society.