Hou Hanru (; born 1963 in

Guangzhou, China Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kong ...

) is an international art curator and critic based in San Francisco, Paris and Rome. He is Artistic Director of the

MAXXI MAXXI ( it, Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, italic=no, "national museum of 21st-century arts") is a national museum of contemporary art and architecture in the Flaminio neighborhood of Rome, Italy. The museum is managed by a foundation ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy.

Biography

Hou graduated from the

Central Academy of Fine Arts The Central Academy of Fine Arts or CAFA is an art academy under the direct charge of the Ministry of Education of China. The Manila Bulletin calls the school "China’s most prestigious and renowned art academy". It is one of the most selectiv ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and moved to Paris in 1990. He lived 16 years in France before moving to the United States in 2006. He worked at

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...

as Director of Exhibitions and Public Program and Chair of Exhibition and Museum Studies from 2006 to 2012. He is Artistic Director of MAXXI, National Museum of 21st Century Arts, Rome since 2013. He has curated numerous exhibitions including "

Cities on the Move ''Cities on the Move'' was a major traveling exhibition curated by Hou Hanru and Hans Ulrich Obrist . The exhibition toured to various locations from 1997 to 1999, presenting the cultural impact of East Asia's rapid urban development in the late t ...

" (1997–1999), Shanghai Biennale (2000), Gwangju Biennale (2002),

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

(French Pavilion, 1999, Z.O.U. -- Zone Of Urgency, 2003, Chinese Pavilion, 2007), Canton Express (2003, Venice),

Nuit Blanche Nuit Blanche () (White Night) is an annual all-night or night-time arts festival of a city. A Nuit Blanche typically has museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions open and free of charge, with the centre of the ...

(2004, Paris), the 2nd Guangzhou Triennial (2005), the 2nd Tirana Biennial (2005), the 10th

Istanbul Biennial The Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition that has been held biennially in Istanbul, Turkey, since 1987. The Biennial has been organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) since its inception. Format Istanbul Bien ...

(2007), "Global Multitude" (Luxembourg 2007), "Trans(cient)City" (Luxembourg 2007), EV+A 2008 (Limerick), "The Spectacle of the Everyday, The 10th Lyon Biennale" (Lyon, 2009), the 5th Auckland Triennial (Auckland, New Zealand, May - August 2013), etc. He has been consultant and advisor in many international institutions including

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the United States and, t ...

(Minneapolis),

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is the permanent home of a continuously exp ...

(New York),

Kumamoto Museum of Contemporary Art is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a population of 1,461,000, ...

(Kumamoto, Japan), De Appel Foundation (Amsterdam),

Rockbund Art Museum The Rockbund Art Museum (RAM, ) is a contemporary art museum in central Shanghai. The museum is on Huqiu Road, in the former Royal Asiatic Society building completed in 1933 near The Bund waterfront. The museum is dedicated to being an influentia ...

(Shanghai), Times Museum (Guangzhou),

Today Art Museum The Today Art Museum is a museum located in Beijing. References {{authority control Museums in Beijing Art museums and galleries in China Art museums established in 2002 2002 establishments in China ...

(Beijing),

Power Station of Art The Power Station of Art is a contemporary art museum in Shanghai. Housed in a former power station, it is China's first state-run contemporary art museum. Converting the building cost $64 million which was paid for by the Shanghai government. ...

(Shanghai), Deutsche Bank Collection (Frankfurt),

Kadist Art Foundation Kadist is an interdisciplinary contemporary arts organization with an international contemporary art collection. In addition to being a collecting body, Kadist hosts artists residencies and produces exhibitions, publications, and public events. ...

(San Francisco/Paris), Asia Art Archive (Hong Kong), etc. and served in juries of many international awards including the

Hugo Boss Prize The Hugo Boss Prize was an award given every other year to an artist (or group of artists) working in any medium, anywhere in the world. Upon its establishment in 1996, it distinguished itself from other art awards because it has no restrictions on ...

(Guggenheim Museum), Chinese Contemporary Art Award (Beijing), Ars Fennica (Helsinki), Credit Suisse/Today Art Award (

, Beijing) and Hugo Boss Prize China (

, Shanghai). He has also taught and lectured in various artistic and educational institutions including

Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten The Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten (State Academy of Fine Arts) was founded in 1870 in Amsterdam. It is a classical academy, a place where philosophers, academics and artists meet to test and exchange ideas and knowledge. The school supports ...

(Amsterdam), HISk (Antwerp /Ghent), Forecast (Berlin), as well as numerous universities and museums across the world. A selection of his writings was published as "On The Mid-Ground" by Timezone 8, 2002. His recent books include "Paradigm Shifts, Walter & McBean Galleries exhibitions and public programs, San Francisco Art Institute, 2006-2011", San Francisco Art Institute, 2011 (with Mary Ellyn Johnson). A frequent contributor to conferences, catalogues, magazines and books of contemporary art, he is also a guest editor for international art journals including

Flash Art ''Flash Art'' is a contemporary art magazine, and an Italian and international publishing house. Originally published bilingually, both in Italian and in English, since 1978 is published in two separate editions, Flash Art Italia (Italian) and Fl ...

, ''YIshu'', ''Art Asia Pacific'' and ''LEAP''.

References

External links

Archive of writing on ''Art Practical''Artpractical.comCurator's Portrait by University of Melbourne

Essay on Curatorial Practice: Initiatives, Alternatives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hou, Hanru Chinese art curators 1963 births Artists from Guangzhou Living people San Francisco Art Institute faculty Chinese expatriates in the United States Central Academy of Fine Arts alumni Chinese art critics Chinese expatriates in France Chinese expatriates in Italy Directors of museums in Italy