Look longer. Read the walls. Notice the room.
Short essays for exhibition visitors: how to spend an hour well, what labels and catalogues are for, and why galleries look the way they do.
How to See an Exhibition in an Hour
Trying to look at everything means remembering nothing. A short visit goes further with a plan: one walk through, then a few works seen properly.
Kat. 02 · ReadingReading Wall Texts and Catalogues
An exhibition speaks in several registers at once: the room text, the label, the catalogue. Each has a different job, and knowing which is which makes them more useful.
Kat. 03 · SpaceThe White Cube: Why Galleries Look the Way They Do
White walls, overhead light and an empty floor feel neutral. They are a design decision with a history, and they change how the work reads.
Kat. 04 · ProvenanceProvenance and the Small Print on a Label
Where a work has been is part of what it is. Provenance tells the story, and it matters to collectors, museums and anyone curious about how objects travel.
Kat. 05 · SubjectsCard Players in Painting: Chance, Cheating and Concentration
Card games have been a favourite subject for painters for centuries. Two famous examples show how differently the same scene can be read.
Kat. 06 · DigitalExhibitions on Your Phone: App or Mobile Website?
Museums now offer audio guides, maps and catalogues on your phone. Some want you to install an app; others work in the browser. The difference matters more than it seems.