Venus Lau to Lead Jakarta’s Museum MACAN

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN), Jakarta, today announced independent writer and curator Venus Lau as its new director. Lau assumed the role on February 1. She replacesAaron Seeto, who had led the institution since 2016.

Lau was until last July art strategic director for the Shanghai–based Meta Media Group (formerly Modern Media Group). The media conglomerate owns numerous cultural platforms in China, among themThe Art Newspaper,Art Review,Nowness, andNuméro Art China. “We are thrilled to welcome Venus Lau as the new director of Museum MACAN,” said Fenessa Adikoesoemo, chairwoman of the MACAN Foundation, in a statement.

“Her deep commitment to contemporary art in Asia, and dedication to fostering cultural engagement in the region align seamlessly with our institution’s focus on high-caliber exhibitions and art accessibility for our community. We believe that Venus will inspire both our museum team and audiences with her ideas, enhancing MACAN’s stalwart reputation as a key art institution in Southeast Asia.”RelatedRUTH FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS NAMES WINNERS OF INAUGURAL $100,000 RUTH AWARDSEXPO CHICAGO ANNOUNCES PARTICIPANTS FOR 2024 EDITION Lau, a cofounder ofLEAPmagazine, served asartistic directorof the K11 Art Foundation from 2017 to 2019. Prior to her arrival there, she spent two years as artistic director of OCT Contemporary Art Terminal Shenzhen. She earlier worked as a curator at Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing.

“I am honored to take this next step with MACAN as their new director and aim to contribute to the enrichment of the artistic community and wider audiences in Indonesia through the power of contemporary art and public engagement,” said Lau in a statement. “Together with this talented and dedicated team, I am confident that we will achieve new exhibition milestones and collaboratively shape meaningful chapters ahead at MACAN.”.