Cultivating Curating is a knowledge exchange initiative connecting art organizers from the Nordic region and Egypt. The program features public talks and conversations on curatorial practices in both contexts and forms part of a professional exchange aimed at fostering peer-to-peer learning. It also highlights the need for expanded educational opportunities in curating to support emerging art professionals and strengthen the field.
Project members: Power Ekroth, Sara Rossling, Martí Manen, Hana El Beblawy, Ola Seif, and Farida Youssef.
Curatorial Grounds is a three-day public program organized by Cultivating Curating, taking place alongside the Something Else 2025 Symposium. The program invites curators, artists, educators, and cultural practitioners to reflect on the ways art is curated and organized for the public. Through talks, conversations, and presentations, participants critically examine traditions, positions, educational foundations, and prevailing frameworks that shape curating today.
Day 1
Something Else, Darb1718
The program opens with a welcome note by the curators Farida Youssef and Sara Rossling, introducing the project, its members, and the objectives for Cairo. This is followed by a conversation between Moataz Nasr and Power Ekroth, exploring Moataz Nasr’s experiences running large art events in Cairo and the significance of international collaboration. After a short break, Power Ekroth presents When National Identity Becomes an Economic and Political Tool for the Arts, reflecting on cultural heritage, identity, and the branding of “Nordic” projects. The evening continues with a conversation between Hana El Beblawy and Farah Hallaba, discussing collaborative approaches to knowledge production and the intersections of research, anthropology, and curatorial practices. The day concludes with a closing discussion and audience Q&A, moderated by Farida Youssef and Sara Rossling.
Day 2
ARD Art Institution
This day focuses on networks for curators, decoloniality in the Nordics, and contemporary art education in Egypt. The evening begins with a welcome note by Hana El Beblawy and Power Ekroth. The Swedish Curators’ Association presents online, sharing insights into gathering independent actors and advocating for curatorial practice in public. Giovana Esposito Yussif, also online, introduces the Museum of Impossible Forms and its work cultivating anticolonial, anti-patriarchal, and non-fascist practices in the Nordic region. Shady Elnoshokaty presents Educational Curation: The Creative Experience Between Art and Educational Practices, discussing the merging of art education and curatorial practice. The day ends with a closing discussion and audience Q&A, moderated by Hana El Beblawy and Power Ekroth.
Day 3
Something Else, Darb1718
The final day centers on curatorial education, decoloniality, and guest-host relations. It begins with a welcome note from Ola Seif and Martí Manen. Martí Manen presents Testing the Curatorial, highlighting curatorial learning and experimentation in Sweden. Ola Seif discusses The Absence of Curatorial Studies in Egypt, examining gaps in curatorial education and proposing practical collaborative approaches. Toka Qataya presents on Collaborative Curation and Artistic Boards in Arts and Culture Institutions, emphasizing youth empowerment through art, cultural exchange, and social media. The program concludes with a conversation between Sara Rossling and Farida Youssef, reflecting on decoloniality as a curatorial practice and within the knowledge exchange project, followed by a closing discussion and audience Q&A, moderated by Ola Seif and Martí Manen.
