Valuations: Nieuwe Instituut’s Director Aric Chen on Leading the Dutch National Museum and Becoming the World’s First ‘Zoöp
-
Loading... - bode maria
- 23 Mar 2023
- 88 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
So much of the art world orbits around questions of value, not only in terms of appraisals and price tags, but also: What is worthy of your time in These Times, as well as your energy, your attention, and yes, your hard-earned cash?
What is the math that you do to determine something’s meaning and worth? What moves you? What enriches your life? In this new series, we’re asking individuals from the art world and beyond about the valuations that they make at a personal level.
Aric Chen knows a thing or two about culture—he’s defined a career at the nexus of architecture, design, and digital worlds. Two years ago, Chen became director of Rotterdam’s esteemed Nieuwe Instituut, famed for its critically rigorous and avant-garde design-focused presentations. This month, Nieuwe Instituut will open “Workwear,” an exhibition that explores the transformation of functional laborers’s clothing into fashion symbols seen on runways and metropolitan centers alike.
Prior to Nieuwe Instituut, Chen was the curatorial director of the Design Miami fairs and, from 2012 to 2019, was the founding lead curator for design and architecture at Hong Kong’s visual culture museum, M+.
Chen relocated from Shanghai to Rotterdam and is now in the midst of renovating his biggest recent purchase—a 1904 house just a short walk from the museum (and where Lee Harvey Oswald may have spent the night).
We recently caught up with Chen, who shared some in-process pics of his pad, told us the cause he has no problem getting behind, and why his ability to deal with difficult personalities is his blessing and his curse.
Construction on Aric Chen’s new apartment. “It’s a commitment,” he said. Courtesy of Aric Chen.
What is the last thing that you splurged on?
I just bought an apartment in Rotterdam, which I see not so much as a splurge, but a commitment! It’s less than a 10-minute walk from the Nieuwe Instituut in an old 1904 house. Supposedly, in 1962, Lee Harvey Oswald spent a night in what’s now my kitchen while on his way from the Soviet Union, where he had defected, to catch a Holland America Line ship back to New York. That’s the story, but as always with Oswald, there are unanswered questions. Read More…
