The Filament and the Bulb

Beginning on April 9, the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College (CCS Bard) presents The Filament and the Bulb, 12 exhibitions curated by second-year students in its graduate program in curatorial studies and contemporary art. The students have organized these exhibition and projects as part of the requirements for the master of arts degree.

A conductive filament converts electricity to light within a lightbulb. The current flows through the filament, and is maintained by an inert gas within the bulb. While there is the trace of a spark, the filament’s sustained illumination relies upon its non-reactive environment. The combination of these two elements produces light, radiating outward.

Similarly, the exhibitions in The Filament and the Bulb arise from interactions between specific contexts or conditions that open onto wider narratives. Although the starting point of each circuit is discernible, the flow of electricity has effects beyond its point of origin and its enclosure. An exhibition may itself stem from a specific context, but still have the capacity to portray a multitude of stories. The interruption, reinterpretation or integration of neglected narratives are strategies to address dormant flickers within each preexisting current. Each exhibition in The Filament and the Bulb utilizes the stability of their environment as a platform for re-negotiating these seemingly simple circuits and their preconceived convictions.

The CCS Bard Galleries and Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College are open Thursday through Sunday from 11am to 6pm. All CCS Bard exhibitions and public programs are free and open to the public. For a seat on the free chartered bus from New York City for the April 9 opening please call T +1 845 758 7598 or email ccs [​at​] bard.edu. Reservations are required.

Individual exhibitions opening are:

When the whites of the eyes are red
Artists: Doa Aly, Ivana Bašić with text by Haytham el-Wardany
Curated by Shehab Awad

The Written Language of Reality
Artists: Yto Barrada, Basim Magdy, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Akram Zaatari
Curated by Marta Cacciavillani

Figure 59
Curated by Pat Elifritz

Whispers in the Grass: The Living Theatre and The Brig
Curated by Anna Gallagher-Ross

Other Articulations of the Real 
Artists: Torkwase Dyson, Cameron Rowland, Shawn Theodore,
with writing by Sable Elyse Smith
Curated by Stephanie Goodalle

Dark Clouds Silver Linings
Curated by Emer Grant

Lawrence Weiner: A Means of Avoiding Bureaucracy 
Curated by Lola Kramer

The Case of the Osmanthus Flower Jelly
Artists: Ulises Carrión, Stephanie Syjuco, SHIMURAbros, Zihan Loo, and Anicka Yi
Curated by Lian Ladia

After Notation
Artist: Marina Rosenfeld
Curated by Lisa Long

let’s make a deal
Featured artists: Janine Antoni, Huma Bhabha, Paul Chan, Jennifer Gustavson, Jeremy Olson, Raymond Pettibon, and Seth Price
Curated by Lynn Maliszewski

los contenedores (no) son mejores vacíos
Contributors: Tania Bruguera, Krudas Cubensi, Ted Henken, Hanny Mirin, and Chris Stover
Produced by Lola Martinez

Studies from the Bottom Up
Contributors: Martin Beck, Adelita Husni-Bey, Nadja Millner-Larsen, and Jennifer Wilson
Curated by Julie Niemi 

For related programming please see our full website here.

Student-curated exhibitions at CCS Bard are made possible with support from the Rebecca and Martin Eisenberg Student Exhibition Fund; the Mitzi and Warren Eisenberg Family Foundation; the Audrey and Sydney Irmas Charitable Foundation; the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation; the Board of Governors of the Center for Curatorial Studies; the CCS Bard Arts Council; and by the Center’s Patrons, Supporters, and Friends.