Curatorial Repair Is Not a Metaphor

In their talk, Orlan Ohtonen and Lisa Anderson will discuss the topics covered by the recently published book Curating & Repair, a collection of essays and dialogues that explores contemporary curatorial practices and exhibition-making, particularily in the field of photography, as contexts for dialogue, exchange, and the remaking of social and cultural relations. Using the perspectives put forward in the book and Anderson’s insight into practices of curatorial reparation in Black-led archival practices as a starting point, the discussion aims to find actionable insights into how the curatorial realm could be harnessed as a generative space of mediation amidst our current global polycrisis.

Orlan Ohtonen is a curator and writer based in Helsinki, Finland, and is currently holding the the chief curator of exhibitions at the Finnish Museum of Photography. Ohtonen has been building self-organised platforms for intersectional curatorial practices across a variety of roles: as part of the collective “nynnyt”; as co-gounder of feminist and anti-racist workspace Poimu; as co-founder and co-director of Feminist Culture House; and as co-founder and co-organiser of trans cultural sauna event series Sweat and Tears. His curatorial practice and research are focused on investigating how trans and queer temporality, abolitionist politics, and activist curatorial praxis can generate transformative models of institutional change within contemporary museums. Ohtonen has written about the relationship between curatorial activism and cultural politics for several art publications, and is the lead editor of Curating & Repair, which was published in 2026 by 1000Words.

Lisa Anderson is a curator, cultural strategist, and advisor who works with artists, institutions, and collectors. Currently associate director at Messums London, she also leads an independent consultancy focused on African diasporic art and cultural value. With a background in human rights and international relations, her work explores culture as social infrastructure, with a particular focus on curatorial practice as care and repair. She was previously managing director of the Black Cultural Archives and is the founder of Black British Art. Her recent projects include The Ground Beneath at Messums London and Soulscapes at Dulwich Picture Gallery.

Moderation: Marit Hermann

Ticket information: Admission to this event is free of charge.