The ZKM | Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe is pleased to announce that Alistair Hudson has assumed the position of Artistic-Scientific Chairman as of April 1, 2023.
“In these times of dramatic social and technological upheaval, we need new visions for the future. I am convinced that Alistair Hudson is the right person to set the future course for ZKM. His goal is to continue ZKM’s growth as a socially relevant and internationally important institution. At the same time, he wants to open the centre to all of urban society,” stated Dr. Frank Mentrup, Mayor of Karlsruhe and Chairman of the Foundation Board.
Petra Olschowski, Minister of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg said about the appointment of Mr. Hudson: “Alistair Hudson has an impressive international reputation as an excellent curator and knowledgeable museum director. His expertise in the field of contemporary art is outstanding. At the same time, he has a strong understanding of the interaction between art and society. I think his plan to further open up the ZKM and to make it more accessible to people who are not particularly interested in art is especially important. It aligns well with the cultural policy strategy of the State of Baden-Württemberg, which places a special focus on cultural education and participation. I am convinced that Alistair Hudson will succeed in leading the ZKM in these times of change.”
The 54-year-old Briton will lead the ZKM together with Managing Director Helga Huskamp. He succeeds Peter Weibel, who led the institution from 1999 to 2023. On March 1, 2023, the media visionary passed away in Karlsruhe after a short, serious illness.
The new Chairman Alistair Hudson declares: “With the passing of Peter Weibel, we look back fondly on and pay homage to a significant life and chapter in the story of the ZKM. Yet we also look forward to continuing his work and the work of all the ‘fellow travellers’ who have made it what it is: one of the world’s most influential and pioneering centres of culture.
The future of ZKM lies in evolution, not in revolution or total re-invention. The greatest forms of resilience come through gradual change, with the time for consideration of context and culture.
Together with a multiplicity of minds, we will build a holistic, organically evolving programme that encompasses, art, technology, education, music, media, ecology, science and society - a new Bauhaus for the technological ages to come.”
Alistair Hudson is a curator and museum director with broad-ranging international experience. He combines contemporary curatorial expertise with a profound knowledge of media arts. From 2018 to 2022, he served as director of two museums in Manchester: the Manchester Art Gallery and the Whitworth. The latter is the museum of the University of Manchester, with collections in art and cultural history encompassing all genres.
Alistair Hudson’s concept of a useful museum envisions artistic institutions and cultural institutions as centres of social responsibility and transformation. He believes that they should be run artistically, as works in progress in their own right. Together with the artist Tania Bruguera he heads the Asociación de Arte Útil, a growing international network which collaborates with other institutions such as the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven and FRAC Poitou-Charentes.
Hudson is a member of many panels. For example, he was on the jury for the Turner Prize and a member of the selection committee for the British pavilion of the Venice Biennale 2021.
Although Alistair Hudson’s career has taken him to many stations in England, he sees himself as a true European. European culture and philosophy have shaped him profoundly, inspiring him to collaborate with many institutions in Europe and beyond. His methods have focused on the relationships between culture, society, politics and technical progress extending to interactions with our digitalised environment.
Press contact: Felix Brenner, +49 721 81001821 / presse@zkm.de
