Frieze x Deutsche Bank Emerging Curators Fellowship Announces 2024 Partner

Frieze and Deutsche Bank have confirmed details of their fifth Emerging Curators Fellowship. Launched in 2020, the initiative supports Black and people of colour (POC) curators through 12-month, full-time, paid fellowships within leading arts organizations. Previous partners have been BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, The Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, and V&A East and Chisenhale Gallery in London. 

For 2024, the fellowship will partner with Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery. Established in 1964 by a group of artists, Ikon is 60 this year. An educational charity with free entry, it encourages public engagement with contemporary art through its diverse gallery and offsite programmes.

Melanie Pocock, Artistic Director, Exhibitions, Ikon, said: ‘Our location in Birmingham – one of the first super-diverse cities in the UK – provides a culturally rich context for the fellow to develop their skills and practice across exhibitions and programming.’ 

Following an open call for applications, Ikon was selected by a panel of Gus Casely-Hayford (Director, V&A East), Mary Findlay (International Art Curator, Deutsche Bank), Eva Langret (Director, Frieze London) and Kinnari Saraiya (2021 Frieze x Deutsche Bank Emerging Fellow). It will receive a £45,000 grant to cover the fellowship costs, including the fellow’s salary, expenses, travel and research. Recruitment for this year’s fellow will commence in summer 2024, with the placement starting in September. 

Langret said: ‘We’re thrilled to announce Ikon Gallery as our partner institution. From the outset, our goal has been to extend our reach across the UK. I am proud that Kinnari Saraiya, our 2021 fellow who successfully completed a placement at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, has recently accepted a curatorial role at Somerset House in London.’ 

‘I was part of multiple exhibitions,’ said Saraiya said about her fellowship. ‘The experience provided me with a lot of confidence as a person and enabled me to take the next step.’

The 2023 Frieze x Deutsche Bank Emerging Curators Fellowship, in collaboration with The Whitworth and University of Manchester, alongside artist Ibrahim Mahama, is currently open for applications. The Whitworth Curatorial Fellow will commence in the summer of 2024. 

FURTHER INFORMATION 

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^{Main image: Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. Image courtesy Ikon. Photo by Handover Agency}