Fatoş Üstek Appointed Director Of Liverpool Biennial
By Julee WJ Chung
Curator *FATO
On February 12, the Trustees of Liverpool Biennial announced Turkish-born curator Fatoş Üstek as the festival’s new director. She will assume her new role in May, stepping down from her position as director and chief curator of the London-based nonprofit David Roberts Art Foundation.
Previously, Üstek served as associate curator of the tenth Gwangju Biennale in South Korea in 2014, and curated the 2017 edition of Art Night, an annual public arts festival produced in collaboration with Whitechapel Gallery that sees new commissions installed across East London. Most recently, Üstek curated Korean artist Do Ho Suh’s commission for Art Night and Sculpture in the City, Bridging Home, London (2018), a replica of a hanok (traditional Korean house) and surrounding bamboo garden. The installation will remain on display at a footbridge over London’s Wormwood Street until 2020. Üstek also serves as the external adviser to the Acquisitions Committee for the UK’s Arts Council Collection (2018–20), and is a founding member of the London-based Association of Women in the Arts.
During her tenure as the Liverpool Biennial’s director, Üstek will plan the 11th edition of the festival, slated to take place from July to October next year. “In my new role I will be taking Liverpool as my point of reference, while reflecting on current global discourses and developments in the international arena. I look forward to inviting everyone to join me and the Liverpool Biennial team,” she said in a press statement. The chair of the Biennial’s Board of Trustees, Kathleen Soriano, commented, “Üstek’s rich experience across different art forms, and her international connections will enable us to build confidently on the achievements of our two previous directors, Lewis Biggs and Sally Tallant. We are excited at the prospect of working with Üstek and are confident that she will lead with energy.”
Üstek suceeds Sally Tallant, who was appointed president and executive director of New York’s Queens Museum in November 2018.
Julee WJ Chung is the assistant editor of ArtAsiaPacific.
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