Nottingham Contemporary appoints Salma Tuqan as Director

Nottingham Contemporary has announced the appointment of Salma Tuqan as its new Director. Salma joins Nottingham Contemporary to lead the organisation at an important time with renewed funding from Arts Council England and an ambitious new delivery plan.

“I am excited to be joining Nottingham Contemporary and have always admired its collaborative spirit and open-ended research led approach.” explains Tuqan, who will start her role in late March 2023. “I’m grateful to be entrusted with stewarding the organisation’s next chapter and am looking forward to working with the team and board to build on its unique character and collectively imagine its future.”

Salma is currently Deputy Director of Delfina Foundation, London where she has been developing the strategic vision of the organisation, growing its collaborative work and partnerships and shaping the foundation’s engagement with Latin America & the Caribbean, the African continent and MENASA regions.

Salma is a contemporary art and design curator and cultural strategist. Prior to joining Delfina Foundation she worked as the Contemporary Middle East Curator at the V&A for eight years, where she was responsible for Middle Eastern art and design programming at the museum, co-curated the biennial international Jameel Prize exhibition, and co-founded the Culture in Crisis programme which focuses on cultural heritage from the perspective of collective and individual action. She worked at Art Dubai from its inauguration in 2007 to 2011 as Head of Artists’ Projects, as well as Artistic Director of Contemparabia, a series of cultural itineraries for museum groups.

Matt Symonds, Chair of Nottingham Contemporary, said: “I am delighted that Salma Tuqan will become Director of Nottingham Contemporary. Salma’s expertise in cultural leadership and international curatorial experience will bring a fresh perspective to our organisation, its programme, and to the city of Nottingham.”