ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author argues that self-reflective practice in recognizing and negotiating the pressures of self-censorship is vital to the curator’s remit. Her argument represents a radical shift, however, in how curating is defined; it proposes an expanded concept of curation in which the skills by which to negotiate censorship and self-censorship feature prominently. The author presents discussions among a research network composed of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese practitioners, convened in Hong Kong, and among national and international contributors to a symposium convened in Leicester, UK. Curator Kacey Wong’s words are a stark reminder that informed deliberation concerning the limits of free speech and the relationship between censorship and self-censorship is central to the curator’s remit. Self-censorship can result from an environment of covert, as well as overt, censorship. It can also manifest where censorship has not been exercised but where there is fear that censorship may occur.
