COMMODE Queer Curatorial Studies Programme
Call for Expressions of Interest

Expressions of interest due Sunday 7 June.


COMMODE invites expressions of interest from four emerging queer curators based to participate in a six-week curatorial studies programme based at Anvil House in central Pōneke. Applicants must be based in Pōneke.

The programme is designed as a space for discussion, collective learning, and experimenting with various methodologies of exhibition making. It is intended for individuals who demonstrate a clear interest in curatorial practice and contemporary art, and who are interested in exploring queer approaches to exhibition making, learning, research, and writing.

Over six weeks, participants will meet weekly with invited curators, artists, and arts workers. Together, participants will discuss things such as curatorial methodologies, exhibition histories, alternative infrastructures and practice, while also developing their own approaches to curating.

Participants will have access to COMMODE's space as a laboratory for experimentation. Rather than working toward a public exhibition, the programme prioritises process, allowing participants to test ideas, speculate, and explore new ways of thinking through exhibition making without the pressure of a final outcome.

Throughout the programme, participants will be asked to keep brief weekly notes reflecting on their experiences, conversations, and discoveries. These reflections will be published on the COMMODE website at the completion of the programme, contributing to an archive of queer curatorial thought and practice.

The programme is open to emerging queer curators at any stage of their development. No formal qualifications or previous professional curatorial experience are required.

To express your interest, please send a short paragraph (approximately 150–250 words) introducing yourself and outlining why you would like to participate. That’s it.

Applications close Sunday 7 June 2026, with participants notified shortly after.

EOI and enquiries can be sent to info@commode.co.nz