ANA HOP
Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York has named José Esparza Chong Cuy, associate curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, as its next executive director and chief curator. Esparza Chong Cuy will assume the position on November 1.
At the MCA, Esparza Chong Cuy curated solo exhibitions by Tania Pérez Córdova and Mika Horibuchi and organized a major commission by Federico Herrero. He is now working on a solo exhibition of Jonathas de Andrade and a Lina Bo Bardi retrospective which he is co-curating with the Museu de Arte de São Paulo and Museo Jumex in Mexico City.
Before joining the MCA, Esparza Chong Cuy was associate curator at Museo Jumex, where he worked with various artists and architects, including Alexandra Bachzetsis, LANZA Atelier, N.A.A.F.I, Pedro Reyes, and Pedro & Juana. During his tenure there, he also launched an exhibition series titled “Pasajeros” and co-curated its first two editions.
He has also served as a co-curator of the Lisbon Architecture Triennial, a contributing editor Domus magazine, a research fellow at the New Museum, and a curatorial associate at Storefront.
Esparza Chong Cuy said in a statement, “Storefront is an extraordinarily rare and experimental institution that has pushed curatorial boundaries by working explicitly at the intersection of art and architecture. Throughout the years, its founding mission has created and produced unique perspectives and understandings of the built environment to a broad range of audiences. Through my directorship, I will strive to carry on this legacy by continuing to build bridges across contexts and disciplines, and to provide new tools to navigate the complex world we live in.”
Charles Renfro, president of Storefront’s board of directors, added, “José’s rigor and insight will reinforce Storefront’s role as a crucial and necessary platform at the intersection of art and architecture. Through his background and experiences in Mexico, the US, and globally, he embodies the broad perspectives that Storefront has become known for, bringing a critical voice to contemporary issues at every scale—from local and regional to national and international.”