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Nicole Yip appointed as new director of Spike Island
Nicole Yip has been announced as the new director of Spike Island.
The Canadian curator and writer will move down to Bristol from Nottingham, where she currently holds the role of chief curator of exhibitions and live programmes at Nottingham Contemporary, a position she has held since 2019.
Nicole will take up the role in June, succeeding Robert Leckie, who recently joined Gasworks in London as director.
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While at Nottingham Contemporary, Nicole curated exhibitions by artists including Assemble, Meriem Bennani, Dora Budor, Charlotte Johannesson, Eva Koťátková, Kresiah Mukwazhi, Ridykeulous (Nicole Eisenman & A.L. Steiner) and Diane Simpson.
Before that, Yip was the director of LUX Scotland, and previously held curatorial positions at LUX London, Firstsite in Colchester, and ICA in London.
She has also curated exhibitions and projects at venues including Tramway and the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow, the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas in Nassau, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Showroom in London.
Nicole is a trustee of Film London and chair of Film London’s Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN).
Together with Robert, she is curating a major retrospective of the late British artist Donald Rodney, which will tour from Spike Island to Nottingham Contemporary and Whitechapel Gallery in 2024–25.
Speaking about her new role, Nicole said: “I am tremendously excited and honoured to join the team at Spike Island.
“I have long admired Spike Island as an institution that places artists and their needs at the heart of everything it does. This is an ethos that I will hold close as we embark on its next chapter.
“I look forward to working with the team and board to build on the fantastic achievements of former director Robert Leckie, and getting to know the vibrant community that makes Spike Island so special.”
Spike Island trustees chair, Judith Squires, added: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Nicole Yip as the new director of Spike Island.
“Nicole brings a wealth of experience to this important role as we seek to further strengthen our reputation as one of the country’s most exciting arts organisations.”
Main photo: Nicole Yip
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