New Museum taps ICA Miami’s Alex Gartenfeld as 2018 Triennial curator

The New Museum has tapped Alex Gartenfeld, the founding deputy director and chief curator of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, as co-curator of the 2018 Triennial exhibition, an art show that celebrates experimentation in contemporary art.

Gartenfeld is the first curator outside of the New Museum’s staff selected for the post. The first Triennial exhibit was in 2009.

“I think that the Triennial is an exhibition that always seeks to redefine and reinvent itself with every reiteration,” Gartenfeld said. Bringing In someone new will help initiate creativity and build partnerships, he said.

Co-curating the exhibit with Gartenfeld is Gary Carrion-Murayari, who has worked as the Kraus Family Curator at the New Museum for five years. Carrion-Murayari said he thinks Gartenfeld will bring a fresh voice.

“He has, for a long time, been very connected to what young artists are doing,” Carrion-Murayari said. “And I think what he’s been doing down in Miami is good proof of that — identifying artists who have new perspectives and exciting potential.”

The Triennial exhibition will pair well with the mission of ICA Miami, Gartenfeld said, as both museums provide a platform for experimental artists. Gartenfeld will continue his work at ICA Miami.

“The museum in Miami is very much walking in step with the spirit of the Triennial exhibition.” Gartenfeld said. “This commitment to represent underrepresented voices at all stages of their career, as just as one point of my practice, is very parallel to the goals of the Triennial.”

The title and artist list for the show will be announced in about a year, Gartenfeld said. For now, he and Carrion-Murayari are just beginning their research.

“Seeing how much of my job is maintaining a dialogue with artists and creating conversation among artists, this is an incredible excuse to carry on that dialogue,” he said.

This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 8:35 AM with the headline "New Museum taps ICA Miami’s Alex Gartenfeld as 2018 Triennial curator."