Kiera Blakey, the future Director of New Contemporaries, faces the camera smiling. Her hair is short and brown, and she is wearing a white dress with a buttoned front and collar. In the background, a bookshelf and a hanging plant can be seen.
Changing Faces

New Contemporaries names Blakey Director

Arts Professional
1 min read

KIERA BLAKEY is set to lead New Contemporaries as Director from August. 

She will join the Bethnal Green-based organisation from her position as Chief Producer at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Her former roles include curatorial positions at Camden Art Centre, Nottingham Contemporary and Art on the Underground.

Blakey is also a trustee at arts and mental health charity Daily Life Ltd, a mentor at arts charity Metroland Cultures and currently curating a major new sculpture park at Compton Verney in Warwickshire, set to open next year.

A statement from New Contemporaries’ Board of Trustees said Blakey’s “deep passion for supporting early career artists and sensitive leadership make her the ideal candidate to lead” the organisation.

“We’re excited by Kiera’s vision and exemplary track record as a change maker ensuring New Contemporaries maintains continued relevance to our artists and communities.”

“I am thrilled to be joining New Contemporaries having long admired its dedication to emerging artists across the country,” Blakey added. 

“I'm looking forward to working with the team and board to build on its great legacy and collectively imagine new possibilities for artists.”