Cătălin Gheorghe is Professor of Curatorial Research and Practices at the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design, “George Enescu” National University of the Arts in Iași, where he teaches courses in curatorial and artistic research, curatorial studies and practices, and applied visual studies. In the professional world, he works as a theorist, curator and editor. From 2023, he joined the Doctoral School of Visual Arts of UNAGE Iași, where he teaches, in collaboration with Professor Cristian Nae, a course on “Research Culture in the Visual Arts”. As a doctoral coordinator, he can supervise doctoral research in the field of Visual Arts in the areas of contemporary theoretical research (art theory, art criticism, aesthetics, visual studies, curatorial studies), artistic research (practice-based research) and curatorial research (generating curatorial practices).
He is the editor of the publication series “Vector – critical research in context” (since 2010) [www.vector.org.ro]. Among the last edited books can be mentioned: “Learning by curating. Current trajectories in critical curatorial research” [a partnership between Vector, ICMA/UNAGE Iași and the Expanded Artistic Research Network] (2022), “Exibitionary Acts of Political Imagination” (co-editor Mick Wilson) [a partnership between Vector and Platform for Artistic Research in Sweden, Goteborg] (2021), “After the educational turn” (2017). He is also curator of the platform “Vector – studio for art practices and debates” (since 2007), a platform for critical research and artistic production based on the understanding of art as experimental journalism.
He is a member of the International Association of Art Critics and a member of EARN (Expanded Artistic Research Network) WG5 Curatorial Studies [www.artresearch.network].
In 2019-2023 he was a member of the Management Committee of the COST Action 18136 – European Forum for Advanced Practices (EFAP), financed by Horizon 2020 and run by NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway). In 2024-2029 he will act as a member of the Management Committee of the COST Action 23158 – Artistic Intelligence – Responsiveness, accessibility, responsibility, equity (ARTinRARE), financed by Horizon Europe and run by Universidade do Porto (Portugal).
In 2022 he published, via tranzit.ro/Iași, the book “Transformation of research. New aesthetics in the practice of critical artistic research”.
His research interests are elaborated around the issues of critical artistic research, critical curatorial practices, art as experimental journalism, political theories of contemporary art, theorizing xeno-spaces and xeno-practices, trans(ex)positions, “applied aesthetics” generated by post-capitalist theories, conditions of “the infrastructural” in curating, curatorial transitions and new modes of co-existence.