Former Chicago Architecture Biennial artistic director Yesomi Umolu has been named general and artistic director of Rotterdam’s Nieuwe Instituut museum starting next year.
British curator Umolu was previously the director of curatorial affairs and public practice at London’s Serpentine Galleries and the artistic director of the 2019 Chicago Architecture Biennial.
“It’s a great honour to lead a new chapter in the Nieuwe Instituut‘s artistic journey,” Umolu said of her new role, which she will take up on 1 March 2026.
“Nieuwe Instituut is a singular institution that brings together heritage and contemporary practice across architecture, design, and digital culture – fields that have deeply shaped my curatorial work.”
She will succeed former director Aric Chen, who left the Nieuwe Instituut role last summer.
Umolu to “make a positive contribution” to Nieuwe Instituut’s development
Umolu has previously curated a number of exhibitions, commissions and publications with artists and architects. She was also a member of the curatorial advisory board for the US Pavilion at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale.
In her new job, Umolu will work with Nieuwe Instituut’s general and managing director Aukje Bolle. She was chosen for the job because of her experience in the culture and architecture sectors, Bolle said.
“With her arrival at the Nieuwe Instituut, Yesomi Umolu will make a positive contribution to the further development of our wonderful organisation,” Bolle commented.
“Yesomi brings a wealth of experience from internationally renowned cultural institutions, extensive knowledge of architecture, design, and contemporary art, and a clear vision of the role that the design disciplines can play in the social, ecological, and digital challenges of our time,” she added.
Nieuwe Instituut to enter “exciting new chapter” under Umolu and Bolle
“With her training as an architect and her outstanding international experience, including her curatorship of the Chicago Architecture Biennale, Yesomi brings a distinctive combination of disciplinary expertise and cultural imagination,” Nieuwe Instituut’s chair of the supervisory board Farah Karimi said.
“Her curatorial practice and her vision for architecture, design, and digital culture make her exceptionally well-suited to lead, together with Aukje Bolle, the Nieuwe Instituut into an exciting new chapter.”
Examples of previous projects from the Nieuwe Instituut include a shop that saw customers exchange urine for soap and a Milan design week pop-up store that offered free haircuts.
The photography is by Luke Walker.
