Tag: Curators

Francesco Bonami’s Case Against Trend-Chasing in the Museum Business

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Under Francesco Bonami’s direction, By Art Matters has embraced a curatorial model that favors instinct, experimentation and intellectual risk. Photo: Qingshan Wu, courtesy of By Art Matters

Late last year, I had the privilege of visiting Hangzhou, China, as the guest of By Art Matters, a remarkable museum that opened in 2021. The museum is situated in a sprawling complex designed by Renzo Piano, and across several floors and two buildings, it takes an innovative approach to curation, both in the subjects it tackles and in the way exhibitions are organized. Located just an hour by train from Shanghai, it is truly a must-visit for anyone traveling in the region. At least part of its success can be attributed to the work of curator Francesco Bonami, who serves as its director. I caught up with Bonami in Shanghai to learn more about how this one-of-a-kind institution came to be.

In person, you told me a little bit about how you came to know By Art Matters through your friend Renzo Piano, who designed the complex it occupies in Hangzhou. I’d love to hear more about these early stages. How did the institution’s curatorial ethos evolve?

My friendship with Renzo Piano began through a book, Dopo tutto non è brutto (After All, It’s Not Ugly), which included a chapter on one of his buildings. That text amused him enough to get in touch, and a genuine connection followed. When Lilin later asked Renzo to design the Ooeli campus, she also asked whether he knew anyone who could help with the art space that would become By Art Matters.

The name was proposed as a contraction of the phrase “by the way, art matters.” Even without a literal meaning, it conveyed the essential message: a place where art always matters more than the strategies built around it. That principle reflects Lilin’s philosophy, one shared fully from the outset.

During an early visit to Hangzhou, the site was little more than a tent with chickens wandering around. Renzo immediately grasped the location’s orientation and potential and, over lunch, sketched the concept with his signature green Pentel marker. That was around 2014, and the core idea of that drawing remains visible today in how millions of visitors move through the campus each year. Credit belongs to Renzo for a vision that extends far beyond architectural “hardware” into long-term spatial experience.

Curator Francesco Bonami. Courtesy of By Art Matters

When I had the pleasure of visiting Hangzhou, By Art Matters had just opened an innovative retrospective showcasing the work of Inga Svala Thorsdottir & Wu Shanzhuan. I also took in the previously opened exhibition featuring outfits from every collection by Martin Margiela. How do these diverse shows reflect the vision of By Art Matters?

By Art Matters maintains a deliberately flexible approach to programming. There is a conscious avoidance of following the usual strategies of the art world—partly out of conviction, partly out of a desire for a more direct, fresh and even naïve attitude. Projects are considered individually, and choices are made based on what resonates most strongly at a given moment rather than on external expectations or positioning.

What are some of your favorite shows that you’ve done with By Art Matters, and why?

The first exhibition, “A Show About Nothing,” was especially successful. Other highlights include “Mind the Gap,” a long-distance conversation between Li Ming and Darren Bader, as well as “360 Degrees Painting.”

You’ve programmed high-profile shows across the globe. How do you try to balance geographic specificity with making an exhibition that will resonate with someone in the international art world? How has that been demonstrated at By Art Matters?

Finding that balance remains a challenge, since audiences differ significantly across contexts. Assumptions that feel natural to a Western curator can be far from obvious to younger curators or local teams. Working through those gaps—often by questioning what is taken for granted—has been an ongoing and instructive process at By Art Matters.

You’re known for dispensing insights about the broader art world on your Instagram. Could you speak about some trends you’ve noticed in recent years, ones you either endorse or do not care for?

Following or responding to trends is risky, since by the time they are acted upon, it is often already too late. Instinct—one’s own or that of trusted collaborators—matters more, along with a willingness to risk mistakes rather than chase relevance.

If you had to offer advice to a young artist starting out today, what would it be?

Work toward success, but remain a servant to personal ideas rather than to the ideas of others.

What have you learned about Chinese audiences in your time working with By Art Matters?

The most striking quality is the openness and flexibility of mindset. Growing up in a Western context often meant being asked “why?” repeatedly, with long delays before a project could be realized, if at all. In China, the response is more often “why not?” followed by rapid realization—sometimes almost too rapid!

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Dan Duray

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February 13, 2026
Between MoAD and SFMOMA, Cornelia Stokes Charts a Unique Curatorial Path

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Stokes describes her position as the ligature connecting curatorial research, programming and public discourse across two distinct museum ecosystems. Portrait by Kelvin Bulluck, museum image © Henrik Kam, courtesy SFMOMA

Last month the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) announced that Cornelia Stokes would serve as the inaugural Assistant Curator of the Art of the African Diaspora. The job will have her working “across both institutions to develop new scholarship on contemporary art from the African Diaspora, and support a range of exhibitions and public programs, as well as SFMOMA’s work to diversify its collection.” It’s a huge mandate that promises to delve into some of the thorniest questions facing the art world at a time when galleries and museums are trying to find new ways to engage with audiences. We caught up with Stokes to hear about her new position and its responsibilities.

Congratulations on the new position! It’s a very unique one. How did you find yourself coming to this job? How was it initially pitched to you?

I originally discovered the role in 2023 and was instantly captivated by the intentionality and collaborative spirit of the position. As I began to understand more about the role, it was the idea of being connective tissue and building frameworks that could support long-term curatorial thinking, scholarship and public engagement for both institutions that drew me in.

You’ve been positioned as a bridge between these two unique institutions. I know you’re just starting your job, but could you speak a little about each of their individual strengths, and how you’ve initially envisioned their long-term collaboration?

MoAD has the ability to be more responsive in its programming. They are unapologetic and unafraid to foreground lived experience and cultural specificity. SFMOMA offers the scale, resources and global visibility of a major modern and contemporary museum, along with a deep commitment to collection-building. My thinking around the collaboration is less about merging identities and more about sharing influence, knowledge and resources without flattening difference.

You come to this job from Emblazon Arts LLC. What kinds of work did you do there? What lessons did you learn there to prepare you for this position?

Emblazon Arts is an independent curatorial and cultural strategy practice I founded to support artists and institutions working inside and outside traditional frameworks. Through Emblazon, I curated exhibitions, developed public programs, advised on collections and archival projects and helped build sustainable infrastructures for artists—often with limited resources but expansive vision. That work taught me how to be rigorous and responsive at the same time. To be flexible and fluid.

You’ve worked previously, too, as a research assistant for the beloved artist Amy Sherald. What did that position entail? What was it like working for her?

Working as a research assistant for Amy Sherald was and is inexplicable. Amy is a force who approaches her work with extraordinary discipline and care. Being part of that process taught me how deep research, compassion and patience are embedded in strong artistic practice. For me, it also reinforced the importance of protecting artists’ time and vision—something I carry with me into curatorial work.

Part of this job involves working with SFMOMA to help diversify its collection. What are some of the challenges to that task, historically and currently?

Diversifying a collection isn’t simply about adding works; it requires rethinking the frameworks of value, ownership and art-historical narratives. I have yet to encounter any challenges, but I think, as a new curator at a new institution, the challenge will always be entering a dialogue already in progress.

This position has a three-year tenure. How will you know you’ve done your job at the end of that time? What personal benchmarks will you have met?

I’ll know I’ve done my job if the collaboration between SFMOMA and MoAD provides a framework for someone else to continue evolving beyond my tenure. That can look like meaningful collaborative exhibitions, published scholarship and public programs that reflect the breadth of the African Diaspora without flattening its complexity. On a personal level, success means supporting artists and colleagues in thoughtful, ethical and generative ways. If I can look back and see that the work expanded possibilities—for institutions, for artists and for audiences—then I’ll feel the role has done what it set out to do.

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Dan Duray

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January 21, 2026
Kathy Ryan On Curating Joy Through Different Artists’ Lenses

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In capturing joy, Mickalene Thomas stayed close to home. Zach Hilty/BFA.com

Those who enjoy photography have had a hard time in recent years. Because it is associated with the apps through which people of all ages communicate, it is taken for background—as that thing that distracts you from your DMs. The art boom caused the medium to be neglected at galleries (because you can’t really see the same ROI on photography that you can with painting), and now that the market is down, the only answer seems to be smaller paintings. It’s always been a little surprising that Apple, which is occasionally the most valuable company in the world, would commission a photography exhibition alongside the launch of its new iPhones. But they’ve done exhibitions for the past two releases, and the latest iteration staged in Chelsea, London and Shanghai simultaneously felt like it could have passed for your average gallery show.

Held at the old Petzel space on 18th Street, “Joy, in 3 Parts” was curated by Kathy Ryan, longtime director of photography at the New York Times Magazine. The show brought together works by Inez & Vinoodh, Mickalene Thomas and Trunk Xu, each tasked with interpreting joy. The result was three bodies of work that were handsome and strange, a credit to Ryan’s flexibility.

Trunk Xu, Untitled, 2025. © Trunk Xu

Inez & Vinoodh used the prompt to tell a love story about their son and his partner over five images. “They saw joy as their son’s love story,” Ryan told Observer, in part because it reminded them of their own meeting at art school. The artists were inspired by Zabriskie Point (1970) and its desert landscape, and so took the opportunity to travel to Marfa, Texas, for their shoot.

There are shades of Badlands (1973), too. In Marfa, the besotted couple is accompanied by a red fabric that becomes its own character—a veil, a flag, a cocoon. Sure, the fabric basically symbolizes the love between the two kids, but in no way does this come off as corny. “Whenever their work goes into the surreal, something magical always happens,” Ryan said. “That red cloth became almost like a character.”

The sequence flanks three vivid color images with black-and-white portraits. One key frame—Charles and Natalie running with the red fabric behind them—was transformed when the sun broke through clouds. “You plan and plan, and then you hope serendipity kicks in,” Ryan said. “Just before the sun went down, we got that terrific rainbow flare.”

Where Inez & Vinoodh looked outward, Mickalene Thomas stayed close to home. She chose Fort Greene Park, her local Brooklyn greenspace, and captured neighborhood life in seemingly candid encounters: dancers, rope jumpers, a couple in a hammock. Initially shot in color, the series turned during editing. “After the first morning, she said, ‘You know what: I’m seeing this in black and white,’” Ryan said. “It strips away unnecessary noise and lets you lean into rhythm, form and emotion.”

It’s a bold move for someone associated with her use of color. According to Ryan, Thomas said politics were behind the choice. She wanted to represent Black people outside of the context of labor. “This work counters that narrative,” Ryan said, “exploring rest as a form of resistance, power, and self-reclamation.” They feel documentary, cinematic and natural all at once.

How Trunk Xu visualizes joy. Zach Hilty/BFA.com

Meanwhile, Beijing-born, Los Angeles-based Trunk Xu staged his contributions in a more obvious way and chose to confront the omnipresence of cameras in daily life. “The whole idea was fine art, not ads,” she said. But he was adamant, in a good way. To him, joy is wrapped up in the process of documenting. “The picture itself and the making of the picture is part of that dance with life.” His tableaux show skaters, beachgoers and couples photographing one another on their phones, but in subtle and unorthodox ways, with tight composition.

Ryan closed our conversation by situating the phone within photography’s long arc: from 8×10 plates to 35mm reportage, Polaroid experiments and now pocket devices with multiple 48MP sensors. My favorite of Xu’s images involved a pool shot that seemed to be captured by several people, but ironically, you can’t see any of their phones.

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Dan Duray

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September 27, 2025