The starting point for the discussion is the recently published book Curating Socialism: A Handbook of International Art Exhibitions 1947–1989 (University of Toronto Press, 2026), which examines international art exhibitions organised by socialist states and curatorial practices during the Cold War. In this context, exhibitions are understood not merely as instruments of diplomacy and propaganda, but as complex events shaped by a range of political, cultural, institutional, and personal relationships and factors.
Sven Spieker is Professor of Russian and East European Art and Culture at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research focuses on modern and contemporary art with a focus on Eastern Europe and Central Asia, media history, and the historical avant-gardes. Spieker is one of the editors of the book “Curating Socialism”.
Anders Härm is Associate Professor at the Institute of Art History and Visual Culture of the Estonian Academy of Arts and curator in Kumu Art Museum.
The discussion will take place as part of the conference of the Estonian Society of Art Historians and Curators, Art History in Uncertain Times. The full conference programme is available on the EKKÜ website.