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