CHRISTA HOLKA
Fatoş Üstek, who currently works as director and chief curator of the David Roberts Art Foundation, will join the Liverpool Biennial as director in May. She will succeed Sally Tallant, who was named executive director of the Queens Museum in New York in November.
Üstek served as associate curator of the tenth Gwangju Biennale in South Korea in 2014, and she curated the “fig-2: 50 projects in 50 weeks” exhibition in London in 2015. She organized the 2017 edition of the Art Night festival in the English capital and recently oversaw Do Ho Suh’s largest work in the U.K., which was co-commissioned by Art Night and Sculpture in the City in 2018. Alongside her curatorial work, Üstek is an external member of the acquisitions committee for the Arts Council Collection, a national loan collection of modern and contemporary and British art.
Üstek said in a statement, “Through ten editions, Liverpool Biennial has gained a reputation for being one of the most important contemporary art events accessible to the large national and international public. In my new role I will be taking Liverpool as my point of reference, while reflecting on current global discourses and developments in the international arena.”
Kathleen Soriano, chair of the board of trustees of Liverpool Biennial, added, “Üstek’s rich experience across different art forms, and her international connections will enable us to build confidently on the achievements of our two previous directors, Lewis Biggs and Sally Tallant. We are excited at the prospect of working with Üstek and are confident that she will lead with energy and artistic integrity on the delivery of future, ambitious biennials in Liverpool for our local, national and global audiences.”