The Zaha Hadid Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of the American architecture and design curator and writer Aric Chen as its new Director.
Since 2021, Chen has been the General and Artistic Director of the Nieuwe Instituut, the Netherlands’ national museum and institute for architecture, design and digital culture, in Rotterdam. In this role, he led a public institution with around 120 staff that holds the 4 million-item National Collection of Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning; presents a dynamic programme of exhibitions and events; is known for its forward-thinking, cross-disciplinary research and its active role in talent development, internationalisation, and culture and heritage policy; and commissions the Dutch pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, alongside other activities and international collaborations.
Prior to assuming his role at Nieuwe Instituut in 2021, Chen served as Professor and Founding Director of the Curatorial Lab at the College of Design & Innovation at Tongji University, in Shanghai; Curatorial Director of the Design Miami fairs in Miami Beach and Basel, Switzerland; Creative Director of Beijing Design Week; and Lead Curator for Design and Architecture at M+, Hong Kong, where from 2012-2018 he oversaw the formation of that new museum’s design and architecture collection, team and programme.
Aric Chen said, “It’s a huge honour to be building on the forward-looking legacy of Zaha Hadid, and the great work the Foundation has already done. I look forward to seeing what new directions we can chart, expanding the understanding of Zaha’s work while furthering her desire to support new voices, and creating a voice of our own with a boundarylessness that I hope would make Zaha proud.”
Brian Clarke, Chair, Zaha Hadid Foundation, said, “I am delighted that Aric Chen will be joining the Zaha Hadid Foundation as its new Director and will lead the Foundation into its next phase. He brings a wealth of experience from institutions and projects he has directed all over the world. We have asked him to bring Zaha’s energy to both a UK and global audience and he has enthusiastically embraced that challenge.”
Chen will take up his post in July 2025.
Press Enquiries:
Erica Bolton, Bolton & Quinn
Email: erica@boltonquinn.com; +44 (0) 7711 698 186
Download the full press release here: ZHF Press Release 2 April 2025.