Tate Modern has continued to expand the scope of its curatorial team with the announcement of two new curators specialising in Asia-Pacific art. Alvin Li and Hera Chan will join as curator, international art, and adjunct curator, Asia-Pacific, respectively.
The appointments are supported as part of a partnership with Asymmetry Art Foundation, a London-based not-for-profit organisation focused on promoting the work of curators with expertise in Asian art.
Both Chan and Li arrive with substantial and divergent sets of experiences under their belts. Chan is currently an adjunct curator at Tate, as well as a guest professor at the Korea National University of the Arts, but has also held senior posts at the Hong Kong contemporary art space Tai Kwun Contemporary and new media organisation Videotage.
Speaking to The Art Newspaper, Chan says: “My priorities include delving into the practices of historic artists that have laid the groundwork for younger artists today, and researching art movements through the prism of multiple modernisms. Each artwork works in a multiplicity of ways, including as a carrier for knowledge. They help us to think of the world today, not just what it is but how it is.”
Li, also an adjunct curator at Tate, comes with publishing credentials, having previously worked as a contributing editor to frieze magazine. He also served as an artistic advisor to the 59th Venice Biennale. Between them, they have curated exhibitions across Asia, Europe and North America.
Li tells The Art Newspaper: “Working with Hera and through the support of the Asia Pacific Acquisition Committee, one of my main focuses will remain to be the research and acquisition of works of Modern and contemporary art for our collection from the Asia-Pacific region and its diasporas. This is so important for our continued rethinking of art histories, towards a truly diverse and transnational art museum. Another priority is this year’s Hyundai Commission, which I’m honoured to be co-curating. I encourage everyone to come to London this fall for what will be a very exciting commission for the Turbine Hall.”
The news is the latest example of Tate Modern seeking to grow its curatorial reach. In September, the organisation announced it had hired two curators, Kimberley Moulton and Marleen Boschen, with specialisms in Indegenous art and ecology.
