Andrew Bonacina announced as The Hepworth Wakefield's Chief Curator
19 Sep 2013
Andrew Bonacina will play a lead role in the artistic programming of The Hepworth Wakefield
Yorkshire’s award-winning art gallery, The Hepworth Wakefield, is delighted to welcome its new Chief Curator.
Andrew Bonacina will play a lead role in the artistic programming of The Hepworth Wakefield and The Calder, the gallery’s new contemporary art space. He will also contribute to the development of The Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle, which plays a major part in the region’s ambition to become a new world capital for sculpture.
As the former curator of International Project Space in Birmingham, Andrew built on his reputation for working with artists at a pivotal stage in their careers including Andrea Büttner, Cally Spooner, Laure Prouvost and Redmond Entwistle among others.
The new Chief Curator brings to The Hepworth Wakefield a breadth of international and contemporary art expertise. As Director and founder of the non-profit curatorial organisation The Island, he curated projects at The Clocktower Gallery in New York (with Haroon Mirza and Hannah Sawtell), Whitstable Biennial 2012 (with Jesse Jones, Gareth Moore, Patrick Staff and Cara Tolmie) and Art Dubai Special Projects (UAE).
Andrew has also realised a number of independent UK projects, most recently a major collaborative exhibition with Charles Atlas, Mika Tajima and New Humans at South London Gallery. He has held previous curatorial positions at Chisenhale Gallery and Frieze Foundation. Alongside his new role in Yorkshire, Andrew will continue to fulfil his existing positions as Curator at the Monsoon Art Collection, one of the major corporate contemporary art collections in the UK, and as member of the curatorial committee for Milan International Art Fair. He has written on contemporary art for Frieze, Mousse, Phaidon & Taschen.
Andrew Bonacina said: “In only two years The Hepworth Wakefield has firmly established itself as one of the most significant new galleries in the UK. I’m delighted to be joining the team at this exciting moment and look forward to working on its increasingly ambitious programme of historical and contemporary exhibitions.”
Simon Wallis, Director of The Hepworth Wakefield said: “I’m delighted to welcome Andrew to the team at this exciting time with the gallery expanding its existing offer with the opening of The Calder and the further development of the Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle. The exhibitions and events programme in our new contemporary art space will provide even more opportunities for creative collaborations and to engage with a wider audience. Andrew’s expertise will contribute significantly to helping us to realise this.”
Andrew Bonacina said: “In only two years The Hepworth Wakefield has firmly established itself as one of the most significant new galleries in the UK. I’m delighted to be joining the team at this exciting moment and look forward to working on its increasingly ambitious programme of historical and contemporary exhibitions.”
