Zhang Qing was the curator for the Shanghai biennial in 2000 and is also working for this year's biennial.

Being a curator actually started in the late 1980s.

"My first exhibition was in 1988, I myself is an artist. At that time, there was no such word as a curator, I was simply organizing an art work show," said Zhang.

The profession of Curator has been developing for many decades in western countries. These people work in galleries and museums, and take charge of building up art collections, researching art information, and exhibiting art works. But this profession was something that Chinese artists of just a decade or two ago couldn't understand.

"Not until in 1993 when a curator from the famous Venice Biennial came to China, did we know that holding an exhibition needs a curator. From then on, as more and more contemporary artists went overseas to give shows, this word and this function became better understood."

According to Zhang Qing, a curator is an all round expert in this field: he or she must be well acquainted with the dynamics of art circles around the world.

The person needs to initiate a theme for the exhibition, which should be of academic research value, and which is also relevant to the art world, the nation and to artists. At the same time, a curator should be capable of dealing with management and the use of capital, and can provide advice in terms of facilities and technology.

However, unlike western countries where this career exists as a major in many art schools, no universities in China have run such a course until now. For this reason curators are often former critics or artists who drifted into the profession, and the number of active curators is very small.

But the demand for professional curators is increasing, especially with a growing number of international exhibitions expected to be held in Chinese galleries.

The experience of Zhang Qing and his colleagues has proved that this profession is growing in China; something that can be seen from the enthusiasm and appreciation of exhibition visitors from both China and abroad.

(CRIENGLISH.com)