The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has announced that Aaron Seeto will be its new deputy director. Seeto comes to the Hirshhorn from Museum MACAN in Indonesia, where he was founding director. He was at MACAN since 2016, leaving in December, to be replaced by Venus Lau. Seeto came to Macan from the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Australia, where he was curatorial manager of Asian and Pacific art and also led the curatorial team responsible for the 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art. At MACAN, he has presented exhibitions by artists including Xu Bing, Yayoi Kusama and Lee Mingwei. Melissa Chiu, the director of the Hirshhorn, has said in a statement announcing his appointment: ‘I admire what he achieved at Museum MACAN particularly, from organizing and contextualizing its collection and exhibitions to establishing interdisciplinary education programs, to make it one of the most influential museums of contemporary art in Asia. He’s an excellent addition to our leadership team as we engage increasingly broader audiences throughout our ongoing campus transformation.’
‘I am the thrilled to join the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, an institution of exceptional significance nationally and on the world stage,’ Seeto said in a statement. ‘The Hirshhorn’s dynamic collection, vision for its public spaces and initiatives to expand public access to art and artists are profoundly inspiring. I am excited to have the opportunity to weave my experiences with emerging audiences in Asia into the fabric of the Hirshhorn’s future.’ He takes on his new role today, 12 February 2024.
