The Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven today announces the appointment of Defne Ayas as its new Director.
Ayas will succeed Charles Esche, who is stepping down after two decades in the role, and takes up the position in September 2025.
Currently serving as Curator-at-Large at Performa, New York’s biennial dedicated to visual art performance, she has held key positions at leading international institutions, including Kunstinstituut Melly (formerly known as Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art) in Rotterdam (2012–2017). She has co-curated major biennials such as Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning at the 13th Gwangju Biennale; How To Gather? Acting in a Center in the Heart of the Island of Eurasia at the 6th Moscow Biennale; and the Mindaugas Triennale for the 11th Baltic Triennale. In 2015, Ayas curated Respiro by Sarkis for the Pavilion of Turkey at the 56th Venice Biennale.
Main Image: Defne Ayas. Foto: Victoria Tomaschko
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
ArtDependence Magazine is an international magazine covering all spheres of contemporary art, as well as modern and classical art.
ArtDependence features the latest art news, highlighting interviews with today’s most influential artists, galleries, curators, collectors, fair directors and individuals at the axis of the arts.
The magazine also covers series of articles and reviews on critical art events, new publications and other foremost happenings in the art world.
If you would like to submit events or editorial content to ArtDependence Magazine, please feel free to reach the magazine via the contact page.
