Victor Wang Appointed Director of Sydney’s Artspace
131Feb. 13, 2025
Sydney nonprofitArtspacehasnamedVictor Wangas its next director. Wang, who is known for his interest in promoting cross-cultural dialogue, arrives to the institution from M Woods Museum, wherefrom 2019until last month he served as executive and artistic director, overseeing the institution’s Beijing and Chengdu operations. He replaces Alexie Glass-Kantor, who led Artspace for a decade beforedepartinglast September, eventually taking a job as executive director, curatorial, at Art Dubai Group. Wang will take the reins from interim executive director Michelle Newton this fall.
“With Victor’s appointment we are making a clear commitment to continuing to grow the organization as a force in the region, the nexus of a thriving reciprocity across Australia, Asia and the Pacific,” said Artspace chair Peter Wilson in a statement.
At M Woods, which recently shuttered its Beijing space ahead of planned renovations, Wang curated and cocurated exhibitions by artists including Ann Veronica Janssens, Bruce Nauman, Man Ray, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Salman Toor, and Richard Tuttle. He also developed international collaborations with London’s British Museum and Tate Modern and in 2020 curated Frieze London’s performance art section.
Wang’s appointment comes on the heels of the $19.2 million renovation of the Gunnery, since 1992 Artspace’s home in Woolloomooloo. The nonprofit recently signed a thirty-five-year agreement to sublease the heritage-listed building from the government of New South Wales. In his new role, Wang will have charge of Artspace’s curatorial and public programs, exhibitions, studio program, international curators program, international partnerships, and co-commissioning projects.
Calling Artspace a “vital part of the thriving pan-Asian community,” Wang in a statement affirmed his vision for the institution which involves “expand[ing] its reach as a confluence where First Nations, diasporic, and pan-Asian solidarities converge to build something entirely new, challenging the legacy of seeking cultural validation from Europe and North America.”