Curating Kubrick: Constructing New Perspective Narratives in Stanley Kubrick Exhibitions

Parallel to the exponential growth in academic interest in Stanley Kubrick, brought about by the opening of his archive at the University of Arts London (UAL) in 2007, there has been an increase in Kubrick themed exhibitions, academic, artistic or otherwise. Behind both trends is the idea of uncovering so-called new perspectives about Kubrick and his films. What follows is an exploration of the curatorial practices of these Kubrick related exhibitions and the way they interpret Kubrick’s life and work in the context of the new perspectives they claim to reveal. Focus is given to two recent exhibitions: the first a small-scale academic exhibition, Stanley Kubrick: Cult Auteur (2016), held at De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester; [1] the second is the artist based Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick (2016), held at Somerset House in London. The article contrasts the curatorial practices in the construct of narratives about Kubrick by engaging with these exhibitions and the motivations behind their curation, the fandom of their curators seemingly a driving force.