Stefan Kalmár is to step down from his role as director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. He has led the institution for the past five years.
Arriving from New York’s Artists Space in 2016, Kalmár is credited with reviving the London institution’s radical intent with exhibitions by Forensic Architecture, Cameron Rowland, Metahaven and Seth Price, as well as retrospectives dedicated to the work of Kathy Acker and Julie Becker, alongside a series of structural reforms that collectively positioned the ICA at the heart of contemporary art discourse.
His tenure was not without some controversy. In 2020, a member of the ICA’s curatorial staff publicly criticised the German curator, claiming he had ‘co-opted’ her work and ‘falsely represented his and the ICA’s commitment to addressing issues around structural anti-Blackness’. ArtReview could not independently verify the veracity of the claims at the time of reporting. The ICA said it would investigate the issue.
The gallery was one of the last London arts spaces to return from the pandemic shutdown. Having closed in March 2020 it opened its doors in July this year with War Inna Babylon: The Community’s Struggle for Truths and Rights, an exhibition examining the history of Black communities’ resistance to institutional racism and UK policing, curated by Tottenham Rights, a London-based racial advocacy and community organisation. In the summer of 2020 Kalmár co-curated the Manifesta 13 biennial in Marseilles.
Kalmár said of his departure: ‘The past 17 months have been a time of intense self-reflection and realignment of one’s own values: what structures, what behaviours, what ideas, what work will matter most in the world ahead of us? Cultural institutions must learn how to respond, should lead the way, inventing models that are innovative and open to constant renewal. Hence, directorships should never be for life – fixed tenures should be the norm not the exception. So the moment now feels right for me to hand over to the next generation to lead this iconic institution with care, compassion and vision. I thank the ICA Board for their support and understanding of what has been for me both a deeply personal and professional decision.’
The artist Wolfgang Tillmans, who chairs the institution’s board, said: ‘When Stefan returned to London in 2016… he brought fresh approaches, skills and a breadth of ideas to our iconic institution. The ICA has been extremely lucky to have benefitted from his double input: Stefan’s international perspectives and his concurrent re-focusing onto the core values of the ICA.’
