The 'West' versus 'the Rest'? Festival Curators as Gatekeepers for Sociocultural Diversity

Gaupp analyses how sociocultural diversity is being standardized through conventions at renowned international performing arts festivals where a variety of performances from contemporary theatre, dance, music or visual arts are presented. Sociocultural diversity in these festivals refers preferentially to artists and audiences with different sociocultural backgrounds and different art forms, yet in ways that further marginalize their work as well as their status as artists. The chapter focuses on the role of the ‘festival curator’, understood both as a cultural broker, cultural intermediary as well as a gatekeeper who is embedded in a complex field of ‘the curatorial’. As postcolonial critique, the chapter shows how curatorial practice is deeply influenced by power relations and conventions, as well as network structures and processes. By doing so the chapter proposes that a transcultural perspective on diversity may provide a way to decolonize international arts management in general and curatorial practices more specifically.