Hou Hanru

Born in 1963 in China, Hou Hanru is a prolific and dynamic critic and curator based in Paris and San Francisco. He is Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs and also Chair of Exhibition and Museum Studies at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Hou Hanru
photo : Osama DawodHou Hanru received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where he was trained in art history. He has been a consultant for several cultural institutions internationally including the Solomon Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Deutsche Bank Collection, Frankfurt; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and the Contemporary Art Museum in Kumamoto, Japan. He has taught and lectured at numerous institutions including the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam and the Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten in Gand.
Hou Hanru is a correspondent for Flash Art International and a regular contributor to several other contemporary-art journals including ART iT, Artasiapacific and Yishu. He has curated many exhibitions including: the exhibition programme at the Walter and McBean Galleries, San Francisco Art Institute, since 2006, featuring artists such as Sarkis, Allora & Calzadilla, Jens Haaning, Adel Abdessemed, Teddy Cruz & Pedro Reyes and Yan Pei Ming, as well as group shows including "World Factory" and "Wherever We Go"...; "Too Early for Vacation", EV + A 2008, Limerick, Ireland, 2008; "Trans(cient) City" and "Global Multitude", Luxembourg, 2007; "Not Only Possible, But Also Necessary - Optimism in The Age of Global Wars", 10th Istanbul Biennale, 2007; "Everyday Miracle, four woman artists in the Chinese Pavilion (Shen Yuan, Yin Xiuzhen, Kan Xuan, Cao Fei)", 52nd Venice Biennale, 2007; "Laboratoire pour un Avenir Incertain (Laboratory for an Uncertain Future)", Grand Palais, Paris, France, 2006; "Go Inside", 3rd Tirana Biennale, 2005; The Second Guangzhou Triennial: "Beyond - An Extraordinary Space of Experimentation for Modernization", 2004-2006; Nuit Blanche, Paris, 2004; "Z.O.U, Zone of Urgency", Venice Biennale, 2003; Gwangju Biennale, 2002; and "Shanghai Spirit", Shanghai Biennale, 2000.

The Biennale of Lyon is a Les Biennales de Lyon event