Keith Whittle is a curator, writer, and visiting professor based in London and Tokyo.
With over twenty years of experience in researching, commissioning, and exhibiting contemporary art, he has collaborated with both emerging and established artists as well as esteemed cultural institutions and venues such as the British Council, Tate Modern, MoMA, the V&A South Kensington, Camden Arts Centre, and The Japan Foundation. His projects encompass monographic, thematic, and inter-institutional exhibitions and events at both national and international levels.
Whittle has had the privilege of working on curatorial projects with Turner Prize winners Gillian Wearing and Mark Leckey, as well as nominees Isaac Julien and Venice Golden Lion winner Sonia Boyce.
Recently, he has focused on solo and group exhibitions that showcase the work of emerging and mid-career Japanese artists. These artists, who work in various media, include Chim↑Pom, Bontaro Dokuyama, Taro Izumi, Kyunchome, Mari Katayama, Meiro Koizumi, Yuko Mohri, Aki Sasamoto, and Chikako Yamashiro.
Selected Experience
Recipient of the Cultural Leadership Programme Award, a UK government-funded honor recognising excellence in leadership for dynamic and diverse leaders in the 21st Century.
Associate Curator and Senior Advisor at White Rainbow, showcasing the works of international artists focused on contemporary art from Japan.
Advisor and Assistant Director of the Beppu Triennial; Curator and Programme Director at Kashiwa Artist Residence, Japan.
Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Art at Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Guest Lecturer in Fine Art at Tokyo University of the Arts, and Visiting Professor at similar institutions.
Japan Foundation Fellow as part of a programme that supports outstanding scholars, researchers, and professionals by offering the opportunity to conduct research in Japan, and Fellow at Central Saint Martin’s, University of the Arts London.
Responsible for International Projects at Central Saint Martin’s, University of the Arts London, Outcomes that include the establishment of the joint Global Art Joint Project of the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts.
Advisor and art consultant for galleries, academic institutions, and cultural organizations including Arts Council England and the British Council. Speaker at cultural institutions such as The Japan Foundation.
Formally responsible for artists’ moving image projects at Film and Video Umbrella, the leading UK agency in commissioning and producing moving-image works, presented in collaboration with galleries and other cultural partners across the UK. Similarly, the New Media Department and Digital Media Art Festival at ICA | Institute of Contemporary Arts exploring the possibilities of digital media and moving image, working with international artists and digital media specialists.
Research Fellow and Director of Time-Based Media at the University of Sunderland responsible for researching and curating new media and moving image projects in collaboration with regional, national, and international partners. Additionally, as Adjunct Research Fellow at the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) in Karlsruhe, Germany, he explored institutional archives and curatorial strategies with a focus on time-based media, including video, film, slides, audio, and both physical and digital computer technologies.