Influential Curator Philip Tinari Leaves UCCA Beijing for Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun
42Jan. 13, 2026
Influential curatorPhilip Tinari, the director and CEO of Beijing’sUllens Center for Contemporary Art(UCCA) and a frequent contributor toArtforum, has been named deputy director and head of art atTai Kwunin Hong Kong. Tinari will assume his new role at the arts nonprofit on February 23. He replaces Pi Li, who isreportedly leaving to help establish a new art museum in Shenzhen.
An expert in Chinese contemporary art, the American-born Tinari brings a wealth of experience from his fourteen years leading UCCA, which he joined in 2011 as director, taking on the role of CEO in 2017. While there, he oversaw the museum’s expansion to include outposts in Beidaihe, Shanghai, and Yixing and curated blockbuster shows of Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol, as well as major exhibitions of contemporary artists including Cao Fei, Maurizio Cattelan, Gu Dexin, William Kentridge, Xu Bing, Yang Fudong, and Anicka Yi.
Apart from his work at UCCA, Tinari co-curated the 2017 exhibition “Art and China after 1989: Theatre of the World” at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, and in 2021 organized the first Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale in Saudi Arabia. He is the editor of LEAP, China’s first international contemporary art magazine, which he edited from 2009 to 2012. A Fulbright scholar, Tinari holds degrees from Harvard and Duke.
“Philip’s impressive record in establishing a dynamic and relevant contemporary art institution in Beijing which is revered both in China and around the world, will be a tremendous asset as Tai Kwun looks beyond the approaching 10th anniversary in 2028 to ensure a brilliant future,” said Tai Kwun director Timothy Calnin in a statement. Crediting Tinari with helping establish Tai Kwun’s reputation by cocurating an exhibition there during its inaugural season, in 2018, Calnin continue, “His extensive curatorial experience in China, entrepreneurial flair and demonstrated industry leadership, will bring refreshed perspectives and insights to resonate with a growing community of art and culture enthusiasts in Hong Kong and around the world.”