Clara M. Kim Appointed Curator of Spotlight at Frieze Masters

On January 9, Frieze appointed Clara M. Kim as curator of Spotlight—a specialist portion of Frieze Masters, which itself is a section of the art fair that focuses on ancient to modern art. Since its launch in 2012, Spotlight has been a critically acclaimed portion of Frieze Masters. This year, Frieze Masters will also be introduced to the New York edition of Frieze, which will take place in May.

Kim is an independent curator based in Los Angeles, where she was formerly the director/curator of Gallery REDCAT in Los Angeles. Previously, she was also the senior curator of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Kim will take the position of Spotlight curator effective immediately and will advise the gallery selection for Frieze Masters in London (October 14–18, 2015).

Spotlight focuses on presentations of work created by a single artist during the 20th century. The section provides galleries with the opportunity to display a focused selection of artists from around the world. The 2014 edition of Spotlight brought together 20 artists from 14 countries, highlighting the fair’s global reach. 

Adriano Pedrosa, who has curated Spotlight since its launch, will stay on to oversee the section’s debut at Frieze New York in May. This will be his final contribution before taking up his new role as director of Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP).

Commenting on Kim’s appointment, Frieze director Victoria Siddall says, “Clara promises to bring an exciting shift in Spotlight, bringing her particular knowledge and perspective to the section while continuing the spirit of discovery, diversity and quality that Adriano has put in place over the last few years.”

In an email to ArtAsiaPacific, Kim commented on the approach she plans bring to her new role: “I am thrilled to be building on Adriano Pedrosa’s work and utilizing the Spotlight platform to bring new perspectives on foundational moments in art. In our globalized world, the gap between the mainstream and the periphery should be ever more bridged—creating complex, nuanced readings of art making and contributing to an expansive view of art histories from all corners of the globe. I hope to consider dynamic art scenes that developed radically independent art-historical trajectories, from Los Angeles to Beijing, the Asia-Pacific to the Middle East.”

Kim completed her BA at the University of California, Berkeley, and received her MA from the University of Chicago. She has served on juries for the Hugo Boss Asia Art Award, United States Artists, Creative Capital Foundation and the Sundance Film Festival. She sits on the advisory board of the Kadist Foundation, San Fransisco, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, and West of Rome Public Art, Pasadena. She is also a researcher for the Asia Cultural Complex, a cultural organization in Gwangju, Korea.

Frieze New York will be held from May 14–17, 2015, and Frieze London will be held from October 14–17, 2015.