Para Site Appoints Junni Chen as New Deputy Director
Para Site announced the appointment of Junni Chen as its new Deputy Director. As the institution nears the thirty-year mark in its history, Chen will play a major role in developing strategic partnerships, building on its current success, and establishing collaborations between cultural producers and diverse audiences locally, regionally, and internationally. Chen comes to Para Site from Tina Kim Gallery in New York, where she served as a Director. In 2022, she completed a graduate degree from the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, and also previously held curatorial positions at the National Gallery Singapore. Chen begins her role at Para Site in September 2024.
Joint Statement from Alan Lau and Billy Tang
In a joint statement, Alan Lau, Chair of Para Site Board, and Billy Tang, Executive Director and Curator, remarked, “We’re thrilled to welcome Junni Chen during this moment of renewed energy and vision of Para Site’s future direction. Chen’s collaborative spirit will be crucial in realising our ambitions to commission and amplify new initiatives, propelling our pursuit of innovative ideas and redefining what an institution can be. Her extensive experience working with artists, galleries, and museums will be imperative to the enhancement of Para Site’s capabilities, global visibility, and long-term growth.”
Para Site’s Recent Expansion and Educational Initiatives
Chen’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Para Site, as the institution builds upon its recent expansion of a new floor within its current building in Quarry Bay, adding diversity to its programming. Moreover, Para Site has significantly enhanced its educational offerings: its long-standing Workshops for Emerging Arts Professionals returns after a four-year hiatus this September, and it has also initiated The Alternative School, a month-long syllabus of artist-led workshops focused on ecology. Both programmes are broadly aimed at nurturing emerging talent from the Asia-Pacific region, emphasising a uniquely experimental ethos. The institution is also set to usher in its annual Fundraising Gala, a fixture in the art-world calendar, in late November.
Junni Chen’s Statement
Chen said, “I am thrilled to join an institution with an outsized heart for championing and centering artistic voices. At a time when personal and global divisions are rising, contemporary art remains a critical space through which we connect with each other. Para Site provides a space for artists and curators to envision and share their perspectives on our collective future, encouraging us to re-examine and broaden our understanding of one another and the world around us. This mission cannot be more important today. I look forward to working alongside friends and colleagues in various artistic communities—both in Hong Kong and abroad—precisely to advance opportunities to create and extend the impact of our highly regarded programmes.”
Photo: Toni Cuhadi
