Carson Chan
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Carson Chan | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 12 May 1980 Hong Kong |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Princeton University Harvard University Cornell University |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Practice | Architecture & Design Museum, Helsinki Museum of Modern Art Program (German non-profit) |
Carson Chan (Hong Kong, 12 May 1980) is a curator, writer, and architecture historian who worked in Berlin and New York before being appointed chief curator and director of curatorial affairs at the Architecture & Design Museum, Helsinki in October 2025.
Early life and education
Chan was born in Hong Kong in 1980 and emigrated with his family to Toronto, Canada, in 1984. He attended Upper Canada College for middle school and high school, before moving to the United States for university.[1] He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University, a Master of Design Studies from Harvard Graduate School of Design, and he began his doctoral work at Princeton School of Architecture, where his research tracked the development of post-WWII public aquariums during the rise of environmentalism.[2]
Chan’s first experience with exhibition making was in 2000 at Cornell University’s School of Architecture, where he made an exhibition featuring New York-based fashion designers threeasfour (then called AsFour), Benjamin Cho, and Pleasure Principle.[3]
Career
Berlin
Chan moved to Berlin in 2004 to work at Barkow Leibinger Architects. In 2005, he began working at the Neue Nationalgalerie, assisting the museum’s architecture curator, Andres Lepik, with research and exhibitions. His projects included Berlin-Tokyo / Tokyo-Berlin (2005–2006) and O.M. Ungers: Cosmos of Architecture (2006–2007). In 2009, alongside Joachim Jäger, he organized the museum’s 40th anniversary celebration, which featured artists, architects, and musicians connected to the museum's history.
PROGRAM - Initiative for Art and Architecture Collaborations
In 2006, Barkow Leibinger Architects made a small exhibition at 0047, a non-commercial architecture projects space in Berlin-Mitte. During this experience, Chan gained insights into managing a project space and observed how such platforms can foster experimentation and innovation. Later that year, with architect Fotini Lazaridou-Hatzigoga, Chan founded PROGRAM: Initiative for Art and Architecture Collaborations in Mitte, Berlin.[3] Lazaridou-Hatzigoga and Chan first met in 2004 while studying in the History and Theory concentration of the Master of Design Studies program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). They shared a vision of engaging with architectural ideas outside the traditional architectural office setting. Taking advantage of Berlin’s affordable rental market, the two leased 400 square meters of ground-floor space on Invalidenstraße, near Nordbahnhof, to establish their project space.[4]
Much of PROGRAM’s activity was shaped by the unique characteristics of its space. The initiative occupied the entire ground floor of the former Hotel Newa, a building constructed in 1912 in Berlin’s post-WWII Soviet-occupied zone. Historically, the hotel served as a residence for Western tourists during the Cold War era.[5] The large front room was designated for exhibitions, while the adjacent long room near the courtyard functioned as a co-working space. A smaller room further inside housed a library, notable for its tilted bookshelf. Additionally, the apartment at the back of the premises served as a residency program for artists and architects.[6]
New York
From 2021 to 2025 Chan was the inaugural director of the Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and Natural Environment at the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), where he was also a curator in the Architecture and Design Department.[7]
Helsinki
He is the Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Architecture & Design Museum, Helsinki.[8]
References
- ↑ Sandals, Leah. "Q&A: Carson Chan on Denver's Biennial & Urban Destinies". Canadian Art. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ↑ "Carson Chan". Princeton University School of Architecture.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tasman, David. "Carson Chan on the Climate Crisis and the Challenge of the Architectural Canon". PIN-UP. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ↑ Ros, Claire. "A Conversation on Curating with Carson Chan". Berlin Art Link. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ↑ Förster, Andreas. "Was Stasi-Berichte über hundert verschwundene wertvolle Gemälde berichten". Berliner Zeitung. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ↑ "PROGRAM e.V. about page". Retrieved 14 November 2025.
- ↑ "The Museum of Modern Art Appoints Carson Chan as the First Director of the Emilio Ambasz Institute for the Joint Study of the Built and Natural Environment" (PDF). MoMA. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
- ↑ "Carson Chan appointed Chief Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs - Announcements". e-flux. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
External links
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