In 2013, the 5th Auckland Triennial will be led by one of the most renowned and highly regarded curators working globally today, Hou Hanru.

In 2013, the 5th Auckland Triennial will be led by one of the most renowned and highly regarded curators working globally today, Hou Hanru.

Hou has an extensive record curating triennials, biennials and exhibitions internationally, from exhibitions in San Francisco and Madrid to the top biennales of Istanbul, Venice and Lyon. His name is synonymous with the rise of contemporary art across China and East Asia from the nineties until today.

The Auckland Triennial, hosted at partner galleries across the city, is a three-month festival of contemporary art involving local and international artists. Initiated in 2000, it aims to encourage a focused but dynamic conversation about art and its relationship to the wider world.

‘I’m looking forward to being a part of this unique exhibition experience, and I am excited to be in New Zealand,’ says Hou. ‘The Auckland Triennial interests me with the city’s increasingly vibrant art scene, being one of the leading cities of the Pacific Rim and with its Maori and Pacific influences.’

‘The Triennial can be a particularly inspiring and challenging context for artists: to engage themselves in reimagining the relationship between their work and the changing world, to generate more energy and new vision to an already dynamic art scene.’

San Francisco-based, Guangzhou-born Hou is also sought after as an advisor, international juror and member of curatorial committees to art museums around the world, including the prestigious Guggenheim Museum and Tate Modern.

With Hou’s worldwide reputation comes increased international interest and a fresh focus on the Auckland Triennial, its artists and the local art community.

‘We are honoured to have a curator of Hou’s vision, experience and standing,’ says Auckland Triennial spokesperson, Auckland Art Gallery Director Chris Saines. ‘This should prove a wonderful experience and opportunity for the Triennial’s participating artists – both local and international. Artists and visitors alike will benefit immensely from his expertise and insight.’

In the last two years, Hou has curated acclaimed exhibitions including Power of Doubt PhotoEspagna, Museo Colecciones ICO, Madrid, Spain (2011), By Day, By Night, or some (special) things a museum can do at Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai, China (2010) and The Spectacle of the Everyday, the 10th Lyon Biennale in Lyon, France (2009).

With the support of Creative New Zealand, Hou will make a series of trips to New Zealand starting early next year to visit artists and galleries in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. He also plans to hold lectures at each centre.

As the only art festival of its kind in New Zealand, the Auckland Triennial is the country’s cornerstone exhibition of international contemporary art and is a significant event in the Asia/Pacific region.

The 5th Auckland Triennial is presented by the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki with Triennial Partner AUT University and exhibition partners including Artspace and St Paul St Gallery.