Dawn Chan Explores Not Flying For Art Events

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Academic and writer Dawn Chan has undertaken a research project exploring the implications of an art critic refusing to travel by plane for art events and press trips. Chan, a core faculty member at CCS Bard, is known for her contributions to publications including the New York Times, ArtReview, Spike, and was formerly an editor at Artforum in the 2010s.

The project was prompted by a personal experience in 2023 when her elderly mother's basement flooded during an extreme weather event. She recalled dealing with“water ankle-deep and rising” while simultaneously on the phone with an editor. This incident created a“visceral moment” for Chan, leading her to question the separation between her role as a cultural critic and her personal concerns about the climate crisis.

Chan emphasizes that the project is not intended to shame colleagues who travel, acknowledging the“structural realities” of the global art ecosystem. She explained that her ability to experiment with not flying for art resulted from a confluence of factors, making it a viable personal choice. She joked that if the project made her unemployable, her alternative plan would be to launch a Kickstarter campaign to open a local Hudson Valley cheese shop.

Chan has explored several creative and“absurdist” solutions to avoid flying. These include hiring a local lawyer as a proxy, co-bylining reviews with local critics, and delegating moderation questions to an audience rather than traveling to panels. While many of these suggestions have been rejected, she believes that simply proposing them helps normalize such ideas. She also makes a conscious effort to recommend“younger and more emerging local critics” for opportunities she declines. As a last resort, she suggests Zoom, although she noted its well-known pros and cons.

One successful collaboration occurred with Zeynep Öz, a co-curator of the Sharjah Biennial. While Öz discouraged the idea of Chan hiring a lawyer as a mouthpiece, they collaborated on an experimental two-person lecture for Öz's April Acts programming. This merged sound clips of Chan's voice with the live, in-person delivery of Christianna Bonin, a scholar based in Sharjah. Chan appreciated giving up control over the event's success to Bonin, and an audience member reportedly enjoyed the lecture's rhythm.

Chan links her project to Conceptual art precedents, including Tehching Hsieh and various collaborative practices. She hopes this connection helps colleagues understand the project's power“by leaning into our shared conviction that Conceptual art practices and projects have power-maybe by nudging social norms far out at the edges of perceptibility and far before we understand the impact that's being made.” This perspective counters feelings of hopelessness by drawing parallels to how the art world meticulously studies seemingly small, historical art events.

Chan now includes what she has skipped or refused on her CV, clarifying that this is not about lying. She lists invitations and adds parenthetical notes explaining why the events did not come to pass. Her reasoning is that a CV functions as a transfer of trust, demonstrating that others saw value in her contributions. She also uses this strategy to counteract the“cost of not doing,” aiming to make opting out more than a“zero-sum game.” If a prospective employer dislikes this approach, Chan believes they would likely not be a good fit, but if they see value in her refusals, a productive relationship is possible. She recounted being deeply moved by Lauren Cornell's reaction, then director of CCS Bard's grad program, who encouraged her to give a talk about the project and provided resources.

Source: Observer Arts

MENAFN03102026005694012507ID1111755586