The Salzburger Kunstverein has announced Warsaw-born curator Mirela Baciak as its next director. Baciak arrives at the Austrian institution after the steirischer herbst festival, where since 2019 she has been curator of visual and performance arts. She will step into her new role in July; his term is expected to last five years, with the possibility of extension. Baciak succeeds Séamus Kealy, who was recently named general manager of Oakville Galleries outside Toronto.
“We are delighted to have appointed Mirela Baciak, a young and committed curator whose curatorial and research practice addresses issues of inclusion and access, as well as a commitment to building lasting relationships with diverse communities. and public,” said Gerda, chair of the museum’s board of trustees. Rider.
Before joining steirischer herbst, Baciak worked as an independent curator and participated in various residencies and grants, including ARAC Bucharest; Shanghai Conservator’s Laboratory; HOW Shanghai Art Museum; the Dhaka Art Summit, Bangladesh; Ujazdowski Castle Center for Contemporary Art, Warsaw; and Kunsthalle Wien in Vienna. Earlier this year, she founded the AAC | Austrian Association of Curators, an organization that promotes the production of curatorial knowledge, on whose board she continues to sit. She holds a master’s degree in critical studies from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna.
“The vision I have developed for Salzburger Kunstverein is that of a dynamic and responsive institution that reflects societal challenges in an ever-changing world, and considers and expands discourses on contemporary art,” Baciak said. “I am interested in large-scale artistic and curatorial projects that consider sustainability and are driven by the values of sharing and learning.
