Curatorial Art as a Form of Contemporary Artistic Expression: Theoretical and Methodological Foundations and the Analysis of Three Projects.

The article examines curatorial practice as an independent form of contemporary artistic expression. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of phenomenology, hermeneutics, relational aesthetics, visual studies, and the anthropology of modernity, it analyzes three curatorial projects by Elena Nashikian (known in professional sphere as Ellen Nash) – Fragile Angel, The Gate, and Mesozoic: Let’s Start Over. The study demonstrates that curatorial work extends beyond mediation between artist and viewer, forming autonomous conceptual structures in which space, light, and visual regimes function as instruments of philosophical and aesthetic inquiry. Special attention is paid to themes of vulnerability, ethical encounter, liminality, cyclicality, and post-catastrophic imaginaries. The projects are explored as interconnected components of a unified authorial conception that proposes new models of perception and interaction within the context of cultural complexity and global transformation. Method or Methodology of the Study. The methodology of the study combines phenomenological analysis, visual theory, and relational aesthetics, allowing for an examination of curatorial practice as a form of authorial artistic expression. The research applies interpretative, comparative, and conceptual analysis to three projects by Ellen Nash, identifying the principles through which curatorial work generates modes of visibility and structures the viewer’s perceptual experience. Scientific Novelty and Conclusions. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the examination of curatorial art as a form of authorial philosophical-visual expression rather than merely a mediating practice. For the first time, three projects by Ellen Nash are analyzed as conceptually interconnected artistic structures in which the curator formulates her own modes of visibility, sensory logic, and scenographic solutions. The study demonstrates that curatorial strategies can place the viewer into states of darkness, light-based perception, or spatial thresholds, creating a field for interpretation and inner work. The findings show that curatorial expression can function as an autonomous research method and a conceptual framework for reflecting on transformations of contemporary sensibility.

curatorial practice, contemporary art, philosophy of art, artist representation, authorship, mediation, curatorial act, curatorial authorship, exhibition strategies, artist