EINDHOVEN.- The Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, announced that Zippora Elders joined the artistic team as senior curator on October 1, 2024. With her international experience, both within artistic and leadership roles, she is a great addition to the existing team. Elders: ‘For decades, the Van Abbemuseum has been pioneering content, a frontrunner within the arts that I very much admire. It is an honour to be able to contribute to that now.’

International career

Elders was until recently Head of Curatorial Department & Outreach at the renown art institute Gropius Bau in Berlin, where she worked with former director Stephanie Rosenthal on an inclusive programme and led the artistic team. Before that, she was general director of Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen for six years with a focus on science fiction and ecology. Previously, she worked as a curator at Foam and Foam Magazine. She was also co-curator of Sonsbeek 20-24 on Bonaventure Ndikung’s team and at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam involved in the major Malevich exhibition, Stedelijk at Trouw and the creation of Young Stedelijk. She has worked on institutional accessibility and many exhibitions over the past 15 years, including recently the retrospective General Idea and a major solo and performance by Selma Selman at Gropius Bau. Elders has lived alternately in Berlin and the Netherlands since 2019. With her appointment, the Van Abbemuseum chooses a curator who knows both the Dutch and international art field well and has a relevant network there. Elders: ‘I see Eindhoven as a very international environment with a responsible position in the region, just like the Van Abbemuseum. Both are known in the art and design field worldwide. In that respect, my move to the Van Abbemuseum is a continuation of my international path rooted in the Netherlands. It is crucial for me to appeal to local audiences with the museum and to keep the connection with the world open. Especially now.’

Social leadership

Broad social commitment marks Elders’ career and vision, experience she also brings to her role as senior curator at the Van Abbemuseum: ’As a public museum, you have to be closely connected to what is going on in the city and society. These are violent and inward-looking times worldwide. It is up to us to advocate and guard open imagination.’

Collection

Besides making exhibitions, as senior curator Elders is involved in researching, expanding and opening up the museum’s collection. Elders: ‘The Van Abbemuseum has a stellar collection. A collection that has been built up very meticulously, very sincerely. The acquisitions are based on a common interest; the collection of the Netherlands and our place in history and on earth. As an art lover, that really feels like coming home. A museum comes about through a relational entirety of people, stories, materials and techniques across times, disciplines and geographies. You step into something bigger than yourself and yet you are part of it, a whole that brings together different streams of creative energy. You feel the collectivity and care. That can really touch me.’