This article examines recent exhibitions that serve as examples of the curatorial as a transdisciplinary method to activate and intervene in real-life contexts. These projects, organized by a diverse range of collectives and curators, mobilize domestic, urban and political zones in order to encourage participation in systemic social transformation. Here the notion of curatorial mediation is extended to the production of public discourse around specific topics, such as the black market or artistic censorship. The central task for curating today, then, involves intersecting with conflicts in various social and economic sectors and integrating them into processes of construction. By researching and engaging beyond the margins of the conventional cultural field, curators can critically investigate pressing concerns and seek out new methodologies to effect social change.