The Rockbund Art Museum (RAM) in Shanghai has announced X Zhu-Nowell as its new artistic director. Zhu-Nowell arrives from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, where they have served as assistant curator since 2014. Concurrent with their work at the Guggenheim, Zhu-Nowell, served as a consulting curator at RAM They are known for their investigation of exhibition histories and institutional practices through artist interventions in Asia.
“Since its establishment in 2010, RAM has not only been the beating heart of contemporary art in Shanghai, but also maintained a legacy of radical projects, always against a shifting backdrop of social and political climates, which the team and I are eager to preserve and continue,” said Zhu-Nowell. “Together, we are ready to take on the ambitions and contradictions of our time through initiating new modes of research, exhibition making, and public engagement, which will expand how the museum amplifies the voices of artists with diverse creative perspectives.”
While at the Guggenheim, Zhu-Nowell curated 2021’s “Wu Tsang: Anthem,” which was named by the New York Times as among the year’s best exhibitions; most recently, they organized “RAM Highlights 2022: The Good Life,” which closed this past November. In 2019, they helped to cofound the museum’s Asian Art Circle, which sought to bring greater Asian representation to the Guggenheim’s collection through acquisitions. Zhu-Nowell will step into their new role March 18, coincident with the launch of Art Basel Hong Kong. Hoping to “spark new understandings of terms commonly thrown around in art contexts, such as place, personhood, geography, nationality, and identity,” they have already commissioned new works for 2023 solo shows by WangShui), Evelyn Taocheng Wang, Tosh Basco, Diane Severin Nguyen, Tan Jing, and Shubigi Rao.
RAM additionally announced that it had promoted deputy director Liu Yingjiu to director. Liu fills the post vacated by Larys Frogier, who is departing after more than a decade in the role, with plans to remain active on the museum’s board.
Liu noted that he looked forward to “continuing our quest for a new, dynamic institution of contemporary art that actively engages with the myriad challenges in the art and society of our times.”
