What is Contemporary Art Exchange
Contemporary Art Exchange is the umbrella name for projects, exhibitions and events organised or initiated by myself: Kate Martin, Australian born, Berlin based freelance curator and arts educator.
I founded Contemporary Art Exchange in mid 2009 as a way to provide an anchor or point of reference for my practice. Based on my own experiences of travel, a nomadic upbringing, and questioning my own cultural identity, Contemporary Art Exchange grew out of an interest in the concept of “exchange” – of thoughts, ideas, experiences or skills, particularly within the context of geographic travel and how this operates within a contemporary art context. How does creative and professional ‘exchange’ between artists from different cultures/countries function? Or shape an artists’ career or practice? What can artists from different countries and cultures learn from one another? How does cultural or geographic displacement influence the work produced and who are the artists exploring this? What of the cities themselves that artists choose to live in – what kinds of exchanges take place there? And what of the physical fabric of such cities that constructs such attractive cultural identities?
Since its foundation, I have assisted a number of young and early career artists with professional development through facilitating projects, exhibitions, events and providing advice. I draw from a specialized knowledge of working across geographic borders, with local communities and with minority groups, such as young people and people with disabilities.
We work with a variety of individuals and groups, just get in touch if you’d like us to help with the following:
-project management
-exhibition planning/design/organisation/installing
-events co-ordination (talks, workshops, discussions, symposia, openings, networking events)
-planning/facilitating residencies and exchanges
-copywriting, editing and proofreading (catalogues, biographies, statements, CV’s, essays, dissertations, theses, funding applications)
-research
-advice
Who is Contemporary Art Exchange
Contemporary Art Exchange is myself, freelance curator and arts educator Kate Martin, assisted by Clinical Psychology student David Brehme.
Born and educated in Australia, I hold a Bachelor of Contemporary Art and a Masters in Cultural Heritage, specialising in Museum studies and World Heritage studies (Deakin University, Melbourne & Brandenburgische Technische Universität). I have ten years’ experience as a freelance curator managing a variety of projects including exhibitions, events, research and collection cataloguing, and have been working in arts education since 2009.
I began my career in Melbourne working with local communities on various arts projects with themes ranging from youth issues and mental health to sustainability, while working at organisations such as Fortyfivedownstairs, The Cunningham Dax Collection, and Benalla Art Gallery. After completing my Masters, I lived in Edinburgh for four years, establishing Contemporary Art Exchange in mid 2009 and dividing my time between arts education and curatorial activities. From 2009-10 I was the Education Assistant at The Fruitmarket Gallery where I assisted in the final year of the Air Iomlaid (On Exchange) drawing project and exhibition, working with primary schools across Edinburgh and Skye. During my time in Edinburgh I also worked on various arts projects for organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Support, The Office (Berlin), the Visual Artist and Galleries Association, The Gallery of Modern Art (Glasgow),and worked as an educator for the National Galleries of Scotland and as a lifelong learning tutor for both Strathclyde University and Edinburgh City Council. Now based in Berlin, I am currently working on Common Ground an international collaboration with two blind photographers from Edinburgh and Berlin and am a guest lecturer for the Transart Institute‘s 2013 Summer Residency Programme.
German born David Brehme is a student of Potsdam University’s Masters in Clinical Psychology, with a BSC (Hons) in Psychology from Edinburgh Napier University. David has studied and lived in Berlin, Groningen (NL) and Edinburgh (UK) and has been working in the social care sector supporting people with disabilities for the past four years. His research interests are critical psychology, and in particular critical perspectives on learning disabilities, children and young people. David is a frequent collaborator on Contemporary Art Exchange exhibitions, projects and events, providing much inspiration and alternative non-visual-arts perspectives. David contributes to Contemporary Art Exchange branding and design work and is the Contemporary Art Exchange IT guru.
