New Curator announced for the Whitechapel Gallery

The Whitechapel Gallery announced today that Emily Butler is appointed Curator.

Emily Butler will work closely with Chief Curator Lydia Yee and the exhibitions team at the Whitechapel Gallery to help deliver and curate a broad programme of modern and contemporary art exhibitions, new artist commissions, presentations of rarely seen public and private collections, focused displays from the Whitechapel Gallery’s historic archive, and an extensive programme of publications.

Emily Butler is a curator, writer and translator. Since 2010 she has been an Assistant Curator at Whitechapel Gallery, London, where she has worked on exhibitions drawn from the collections, on commissions by artists such as Rachel Whiteread, (2012) and Kader Attia, (2013-4); and major solo presentations by John Stezaker, Wilhelm Sasnal, (2011), and Hannah Höch, (2014). Previously, she worked in the Visual Arts Department at the British Council on international touring exhibitions including Tracy Emin at the British Pavilion, Venice Biennale of Art, (2007); Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane’s Folk Archive, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, (2009) and Flicker, Damascus, (2009). She also edits and contributes to exhibition catalogues and art publications. Independent projects include Reel Portraits screening at the ICA, London, 2013 and Language Slips, Open Source visual arts festival, London, 2015.

From November 2015 she joins the exhibitions team at the Whitechapel Gallery including Daniel F. Herrmann, Eisler Curator and Head of Curatorial Studies; Nayia Yiakoumaki, Curator Archive Gallery; and Assistant Curators Poppy Bowers, Habda Rashid and Candy Stobbs. She takes over the role from Omar Kholeif, who joined the Gallery in January 2014, curating major exhibitions including Fiona Banner: Stamp out Photographie (9 December 2014 – 8 March 2015); James Richards: To Replace a Minute’s Silence with a Minute’s Applause (in partnership with the V-A-C Foundation) (23 June – 30 August 2015); Emily Jacir: Europa (30 September 2015 – 3 January 2016); Imperfect Chronology: Debating Modernism and Mapping the Contemporary (Works from the Barjeel Art Foundation)(8 September 2015 – 8 January 2017), and Electronic Superhighway (29 January – 15 May 2016). He will shortly be taking up the position of Senior Curator at MCA Chicago, United States.

Forthcoming highlights for 2016 at the Whitechapel Gallery include Electronic Superhighway (29 January -15 May 2016), a major exhibition exploring art after the internet from the 1960s to the present day; major solo presentations of US artist Mary Heilmann (8 Jun-21 Aug 2016) and South African artist William Kentridge (21 Sep 2016-15 Jan 2017)plus a year long series of displays from the Barjeel Art Foundation (8 Sep 2015-8 Jan 2017) collection presenting a history of Arab modern and contemporary art.

Emily Butler, said: ‘I am really delighted to be appointed the Mahera and Mohammad Abu Ghazaleh Curator at Whitechapel Gallery. I would like to bring my international experience to the position as well as my interest in languages and the possibilities for cross-cultural exchange that artists can open up for us. I am looking forward to bringing the work of significant artists to London, and to continue to expand the gallery’s international reach.’

Ahmad Abu Ghazaleh, said: ‘It gives us a great sense of satisfaction, and a feeling of honour in supporting the Curator post at the Whitechapel Gallery. The Whitechapel Gallery’s historic background, influential art programs, exhibition space and dedication for dialogue between citizens and cultures of the world makes it an important destination in London for residents or visitors wanting to benefit from the power of art or engage in the conversation around it. As a family, we have been deeply touched by Art, and we are very happy to continuously support institutions making sure art reaches the largest audience possible.’

Notes for Editors

Emily Butler is a curator, writer and translator. Since 2010 she has been an Assistant Curator at Whitechapel Gallery, London, where she has worked on exhibitions drawn from the collections, on commissions by artists such as Rachel Whiteread, 2012 and Kader Attia, 2013-4; and major solo presentations by John Stezaker, Wilhelm Sasnal, 2011, and Hannah Höch, 2014. Previously, she worked in the Visual Arts Department at the British Council on international touring exhibitions including Tracy Emin at the British Pavilion, Venice Biennale of Art, 2007; Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane’s Folk Archive, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2009 and Flicker, Damascus, 2009. She also edits and contributes to exhibition catalogues and art publications. Independent projects include Reel Portraits screening at the ICA, London, 2013 and Language Slips, Open Source visual arts festival, London, 2015.

For over a century the Whitechapel Gallery has premiered world-class artists from modern masters such asPablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Frida Kahlo to contemporaries such as Sophie Calle, Lucian Freud, Gilbert & George and Mark Wallinger. With beautiful galleries, exhibitions, artist commissions, collection displays, historic archives, education resources, inspiring art courses, café/bar and bookshop, the Gallery is open all year round, so there is always something free to see. The Gallery is a touchstone for contemporary art internationally, plays a central role in London’s cultural landscape and is pivotal to the continued growth of the world’s most vibrant contemporary art quarter. The Gallery believes that art has the power to transform the lives of children and young people, and pioneered gallery education and community outreach. Working with thousands of children and young people annually, leading artists collaborate with those who have the greatest need for opportunity, and their art is celebrated through exhibitions in galleries 5&6, which are dedicated to education projects. whitechapelgallery.org/learn

Press Information

For further press information please contact:
Anna Jones, Media Relations Manager
T: 0207 522 7871
E: AnnaJones@whitechapelgallery.org