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On December 20, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki announced the appointment of Gregory Burke as the institution’s new director. Burke will take up his position in April, 2019. He succeeds Rhana Devenport, who, since October, has been director of Adelaide’s Art Gallery of South Australia.
Auckland-born Burke was first inspired to pursue a career specializing in audio-visual projects at Auckland art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in 1983. Since then, he has held senior curatorial roles at Wellington City Art Gallery, where he was also assistant director, and has headed modern and contemporary art institutions including the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth, the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto, Saskatoon’s Mendel Art Gallery, and, most recently, the Remai Modern museum, established in Saskatoon in 2017.
Burke’s ability to boost visitor numbers was one of the key factors behind his appointment. After joining the Power Plant in 2005, Burke increased visitation by over 250 percent. He also led one of the gallery’s most successful fundraising campaigns in partnership with Sotheby’s New York. Chris Brooks, CEO of Regional Facilities Auckland, Auckland Art Gallery’s parent company, said about Burke: “Gregory is as passionate about New Zealand art, as he is about Auckland as his home town. He has played a significant role in developing our country’s international art profile over the years and his impressive record in launching and leading modern, world-class art institutions is a perfect fit to take our iconic Gallery forward.”
Burke sees his return to Auckland as stepping into a world of opportunities. He stated: “Auckland is poised to come into its own in terms of its distinct cultural demographics and its growing connections to the global arts industry [. . .] I look forward to working with the Auckland Art Gallery team to put us at the forefront of emerging trends in the art world and front of mind for visitors to our region.”
Dennis Mao is an editorial intern of ArtAsiaPacific.
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