Create To Curate

A curators job goes beyond putting together an exhibition they create stories to realize an artists vision for the cultural zeitgeist at any given time. To further understand their role, we spoke to one of Singapores most sought-after curators, Mr.KhairuddinHori

- Anton D. Javier

A career in the arts was something unexpected for Mr. Khairuddin Hori, Curatorial Director and Partner at Chan + Hori Contemporary (previously known as Chan Hampe Galleries). “I was always interested in the arts and was exposed to it mainly through accompanying my eldest sister attend arts and culture events,” shares Mr Hori. “But it was when I was 16 that I was dragged to participate in traditional performing arts events and later, introduced to students from LASALLE and artists from The Artists Village by two of my best friends. It was then that I seriously thought about it.”

Through the arts, Mr. Hori was able to feed his fascination with things he witnessed as a child, such as the occult, practices, and concepts of various religions, sciences, engineering, and history with equal intensity. And as a curator, this combination of subjects strongly resonates with his approach.

With work experience at Singapore Art Museum and National Heritage Board, what did you bring to the table when you moved to Paris to take on the coveted role of Deputy Director of Artistic Programming at Palais de Tokyo?

Many thought that the Palais invited me because of my network with Southeast Asian artists, but that was not the case. While there, I worked mainly with non-Asian artists and supervised the seasoned French curatorial, public programs, and editorial teams. I worked alongside Jean de Loisy, the legendary French curator and President of Palais de Tokyo. Being given the place and honor to work with an amazing team begs one to wonder, “What else can one bring to the table?” I was told by Jean that I was “chosen” because of how unassuming I was in my relations with artists, my tendency to curate by intuition, that I have a knack for the unorthodox, the ability to spot and convert underrated talents, all while operating within the challenges of bureaucratic frames.