TEL AVIV.- Shahar Molcho has been appointed as the new curator of contemporary art at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, as announced by the selection committee. Set to assume her role in June 2024, Molcho will succeed Ruth Direktor, who held the position from 2014 to 2023. In her new capacity, Molcho will oversee the development and care of the museum's contemporary art collection, while also spearheading the planning and execution of solo and group exhibitions featuring international contemporary artists.

Tania Coen-Uzzielli, Director of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, welcomed the new appointment emphasizing the importance of nurturing the next generation of the Museum’s curatorial team, bringing fresh perspectives and talent amidst challenging circumstances within the international art community. Coen-Uzzielli highlighted Molcho's extensive professional background and her profound understanding of the international contemporary art landscape, expressing confidence in her ability to lead with sensitivity, creativity, and analytical depth, and to present a fascinating exhibition program, creating a space for a complex and diverse discourse.

Shahar Molcho said following the announcement of her appointment: "I am taking up the position of curator of contemporary art at the Tel Aviv Museum at a turbulent and complex time, in which all our "working assumptions" have been dismantled. This requires sensitive navigation and imagination on how to present international contemporary art. I believe in the power of art to examine charged topics in depth, and to stimulate meaningful conversations that require reflection, understanding and inclusion, along with criticism. Out of appreciation for the path outlined by my predecessors in the position, the department will continue to work to present excellent art that confronts us with the nuances of the shared human experience, will strive to offer a program that presents the variety of prominent contemporary voices, and will also seek to bridge the gap between Israel's position at the geopolitical periphery and the art centers of the world.

Shahar Molcho (b. 1984) worked in recent years as an associate curator in the office of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art Director. She began her career at the museum in 2016 as an assistant to the chief curator and director at the time Suzanne Landau and later worked closely with current director Tania Coen-Uzzielli. Molcho worked on contemporary art exhibitions at the museum, among them: Ibrahim Mahama / Fragment (2016), Red on Yellow – A Selection from a Private Collection (2017), Christian Marclay / The Clock (2018). She served as associate curator in large solo exhibitions including: Louise Bourgeois / Two (2017), Jeff Koons / Absolute Value (2020) and Yayoi Kusama / A Wreath of Love I Saw in the Universe (2021). In 2021 curated (together with Ronili Lustig-Steinmetz) the exhibition Calder/Big Yellow Sun, and recently curated the exhibition Ilya and Emilia Kabakov:/Tomorrow We Fly that has just closed. These days she is curating a new hanging installation planned for the Museum's unique lightfall feature with the lighting artist Muhammad Abu-Salma.

With a Master's degree from the University of Glasgow and Christie's London in Modern and Contemporary Art, alongside a Bachelor's degree in Art History and Cinema from Tel Aviv University, as well as experience at renowned institutions such as the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and LACMA in Los Angeles, Molcho brings a wealth of academic and practical expertise to her new role.