Post-Secular Thinking as Curatorial Practice : Challenges and Opportunities of Curating Religious Themes in Modern Art Museums for Secular Societies

This thesis examines the challenges and opportunities of curating religious themes in contemporary art exhibitions within secular contexts, focusing on Scandinavia. Grounded in Jürgen Habermas' theory of the post-secular and informed by the curatorial insights of Jean-Paul Martinon and Donald Preziosi, the study explores how exhibitions reinterpret, critique, and accommodate religious content for diverse audiences. Through a comparative analysis of three case studies -Mythologies: The Beginning and End of Civilizations (ARoS), Hilma af Klint: The Ten Largest (Moderna Museet), and The Third Hand: Maurizio Cattelan and the Moderna Museet Collection - the research employs discourse analysis and word frequency studies to interrogate the curatorial language, strategies, and priorities.The findings reveal a prevailing tendency to reframe religion through secularized narratives, which broadens accessibility but often simplifies the complexities of religious traditions. This tendency reflects broader societal discomfort with overt religious discourse in secular cultural institutions. However, the study argues that adopting a post-secular curatorial perspective, one that critically engages with religious and secular worldviews, offers a pathway for museums to foster nuanced dialogue and inquiry. Collaborative and inclusive practices that embrace the diversity of religious and spiritual traditions alongside secular frameworks can position art institutions as vital platforms for exploring existential, ethical, and cultural questions. Ultimately, this thesis advocates for the development of curatorial tools and strategies that transcend binary oppositions between the secular and the religious, enabling museums to engage more fully with religion and spirituality as integral aspects of human creativity and experience.