Te Uru Presents - ICI: Notes for Tomorrow

Notes for Tomorrow is an exhibition conceived by Independent Curators International (ICI), featuring artworks selected by curators from around the world to reflect on a new global reality ushered in by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this cultural moment of transition, each work is a source of inspiration from the recent past and a guiding perspective for the future.

Many of the artworks in the exhibition address spirituality as a grounding mechanism, sharing ways to make sense of the world when so much is in doubt. Some engage with specific mythology, while others reveal political structures that may or may not still be standing. The formation of monuments is questioned, and their removal is all but certain. The exhibition addresses art’s potential in the construction of collective memory in a global era. We learn the importance of sustaining and sharing different forms of knowledge, prompting us to re-imagine our conceptions of the future.

Notes for Tomorrow was curated from selections by alumni of ICI’s Curatorial Intensive, a professional development program founded in 2010 on principles of international exchange, inclusivity, and knowledge-sharing. With the ever-present backdrop of a global pandemic, ICI turned to these curators to question and reassess values and relevance in contemporary culture, and asked each of them to share an artwork they believe is vital to be seen today.

For Notes for Tomorrow, the traveling exhibition format has been recalibrated to encourage international collaboration and versatile modes of presentation. Its presentation at Te Uru marks the latest stop in a tour of museums, university galleries, and independent art spaces globally, and the entry of Aotearoa into this conversation, coming at a critical moment in our pandemic experience as we look to opening back up to the world.

Notes for Tomorrow is organised and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI) and initiated by Frances Wu Giarratano, Becky Nahom, Renaud Proch, and Monica Terrero. The exhibition was made possible with the generous support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, VIA Art Fund, and ICI’s Board of Trustees and International Forum.

Curated for Te Uru by Tendai Mutambu, with exhibition design by Sam Aislabie.

Visit Te Uru's website for the full list of artists and curators involved in ICI: Notes for Tomorrow.

ICI: Notes for Tomorrow is on from 12 March - 29 May.

Te Uru will remain open under the ‘traffic light’ Covid-19 Protection Framework. To keep everyone safe, all visitors over the age of 12 are required to scan in, display a valid vaccine pass, and wear a proper mask.

Te Uru is open to the public seven days during summer and autumn, 10am to 4.30pm and Tuesday-Sunday during winter and spring.