Paul Clinton

Paul Clinton is a Lecturer in MFA Curating at the Art Department of Goldsmiths, University of London. His academic work investigates how the politics of sexuality and gender have shaped contemporary art practice, with particular attention to queer culture, class dynamics, and experimental forms of critical writing.

His academic background includes a PhD in Art History and Visual Cultures (ABD) completed in 2013, an MA in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths (2007), and a BA in Art History and Visual Cultures from Goldsmiths (2003). Prior to joining Goldsmiths, Clinton served as Associate Editor at Frieze magazine for nearly five years, where he edited and commissioned writing on global art and culture.

Clinton's research interests span queer art and theory, agency and liberation movements, taste and class dynamics in relation to sexuality, and the politics of transgression. His work examines class exclusion in queer culture, the role of class in British artists' engagement with gender, the relationship between early gay liberation movements and later queer theory, and the politics of displaying art dealing with queer sexuality. He has notably explored topics such as spectacle and exoticism in queer art representation, histories of activist queer cinema, and the intersections of class and queer politics.

His recent publications and curatorial projects demonstrate a consistent engagement with queer history, sexual liberation movements, and representation politics. Clinton has curated significant exhibitions including 'Militant Desire: Lionel Soukaz and Gay Liberation Today' at Gasworks and LUX, 'LIMP: Frustrations in the Circulation of Queer Imagery' at Galerie Emanuel Layr, Vienna, and 'Forbidden to Forbid' at Goswell Road, Paris. His 2024 publications continue this trajectory with critical examinations of contemporary artists like Archie Chekatouski and Kevin Blinderman.

• Royal Academy Schools Critic In Residence (2019-21)
• Research Allowance: Department of Art (2023) for research in New York and LA archives

Clinton's writing has appeared in Art Monthly, ArtReview, frieze, Mousse, and the London Review of Books, with speaking engagements at Städelschule Frankfurt, University of Edinburgh, Palais de Tokyo, Whitechapel Gallery, and Tate Modern. His approach combines rigorous academic research with active curatorial practice, creating spaces for critical dialogue around queer histories, class dynamics, and the politics of representation in contemporary art.