Curating Through Signs : Semiotic Approaches to Contemporary Exhibition Practice

In this interdisciplinary book, renowned cultural theorist Mieke Bal brings a semiotic lens to curatorial practice, presenting curating and art-making as dynamic sites of meaning-making. Grounded in semiotics, the book delves into how signs and their interactions shape not only art but also the processes of curation, teaching, and engagement with culture.

Examining various case studies, including her own filmmaking alongside research by Michael Ann Holly, curatorial work by Kyoo Lee, sculptures by Doris Salcedo, urban art by migrants and refugees, and classroom interactions, the book conceptualises curating as a participatory practice. Whether in museums, classrooms, or other contexts, it demonstrates how curating can facilitate a shift from traditional, passive forms of viewing art to a more immersive, participatory form of “seeing".

Designed for scholars, curators and students, this book extends Bal’s influential work on visual culture into the realm of curatorial practice, demonstrating how these practices can transform both the spaces in which art is presented and the way it is experienced.