It was a day marked by stepping downs in the art world. Tim Griffin announced that he would step down as chief curator and director of the Kitchen. Peter Eleey, the chief curator of MoMA PS1, also announced his impending departure.
In an email sent to PS1 staff, Peter Eleey announced that the impact of the pandemic made him think about the “next chapter” in his work and life. He also said that he would continue with his presentations for Gregg Bordowitz and Deana Lawson, neither of which has a date yet.
Eleey joined the museum in 2010 as a curator and became the chief curator in 2016. Prior to MoMA PS1, Eleey worked as a curator at the Walker Art Center. During his tenure, he oversaw some 40 exhibitions, many of which were an integral part of MoMA’s resume. These include solo shows for names like Simon Denny, Henry Taylor, Ian Cheng, and James Lee Byars.
On the same day, Tim Griffin announced his departure from the Kitchen before the year ends. Griffin joined the Kitchen, an experimental art space in 2011. Prior to it, he worked as editor-in-chief at Artforum. During his tenure, he was behind projects with names like Charles Atlas and Chantal Akerman attached. He was also behind many other projects at the Kitchen, like a thematic exhibition called “From Minimalism Into Algorithm”, an interdisciplinary discussion series called “the Kitchen L.A.B.”, and a broadcast series during covid-19 called “The Kitchen Broadcast.
In a statement, Griffin thanked the Kitchen and called it a “humbling experience”. After stepping down, Griffin would be a visiting professor at Ohio State University. He has also agreed to aid in the transition of his replacement as the chief curator and director of the Kitchen.
