Board of Trustees

New Contemporaries is led by a voluntary Board of Trustees and is a registered charity


Registered charity no. 1013848

Board of Trustees

Chair: Fatos Üstek, Independent curator and writer
Alice Amati, Gallerist and curator
Harold Offeh, Artist
Lewis Gilbert, Independent curator and creative director of A Vibe Called Tech
Mary-Alice Stack, Chief Executive Creative United
George Vasey, Freelance curator and writer


News

Announcing New Trustees to our Board
26.03.24

Left to right: Alice Amati, photo by Nick Harmer.; Lewis Gilbert, photo courtesy of our trustee.

We are thrilled to welcome Alice Amati and Lewis Gilbert to New Contemporaries Board of Trustees.

Alice Amati is an Italian gallerist and curator based in London. She obtained her BA in Arts and Culture from Maastricht University and her MA in Art Galleries and Museum Studies from Manchester University. In 2023 she opened her eponymous gallery working with British and international early-career artists, previously holding positions at leading British and international galleries such as David Zwirner. She is a founding member Apollo Painting School, a non-profit alternative educational programme for emerging artists, and an Associate Lecturer at Teesside University in the MA Curating.⁠

I am delighted to join New Contemporaries as a trustee in this milestone year for the organisation as it celebrates its 75th anniversary. I look forward to working alongside the brilliant and inspiring team to support the organisation's mission and impact.

Lewis Dalton Gilbert is an independent curator and the creative director at A Vibe Called Tech; a creative studio and art consultancy dedicated to approaching creativity through an intersectional lens.⁠

Following his BA in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art and Design, he coordinated and produced exhibitions and projects for White Cube and Frieze and is currently the associate curator for New Art Centre, where he previously served as creative director. In 2021, he curated the Hackney Windrush Art Commissions with Thomas J Price and Veronica Ryan OBE, for which Ryan won the Turner Prize.

Recent independent curatorial projects include South by Southwest at Gurr Johns (2024), Pictures of Us at Gathering, London (2023), We Share the Same Sky on Vortic Art (2023), Abstract Colour at Marlborough Gallery (2023) and Peripheral Vision at Anna Schwartz Gallery (2021).⁠

I am thrilled to join New Contemporaries as the institution commemorates its 75th anniversary, and embarks on a refreshed approach, one that embraces today's cultural shifts and empowers artists for the future. As a trustee, I aim to support New Contemporaries in their vision while bringing fresh ideas aligned with the organisation’s mission.


Fatos Üstek is appointed as Chair of Trustees
31.01.22

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Fatos Ustek. Photo by Christa Holka.

The trustees of New Contemporaries are delighted to announce the appointment of our new chair, Fatos Üstek. Üstek brings a wealth of experience and joins the organisation at a pivotal moment.

Üstek said: "I am tremendously excited to be joining New Contemporaries in developing the professional experiences and talent of the next generation of artists. I am truly delighted to be working alongside esteemed colleagues and the brilliant New Contemporaries team in carrying the organisation to the future."

Fatos Üstek is a curator and writer, working internationally with large scale organisations, biennials and festivals, as well as commissioning in the public realm for over two decades. She currently sits on the advisory board at Urbane Kuenste Ruhr, Germany; Jan van Eyck Academy, The Netherlands and serves on the editorial board of Extra Extra Magazine. Üstek sits on selection and award committees for Scotland and Dutch Pavilions at Venice and was a judge on Turner Prize 2020. She writes regularly for academic publications, art magazines, artist monographs, and exhibition catalogues and previously ran the Liverpool Biennial and Roberts Institute of Art in the UK.

Our sincerest thanks to our former Chair of Trustees, Sacha Craddock, who steps down after 25 years. In that time Craddock oversaw significant developments to the organisation, playing a vital role in supporting emerging artists in the UK.



New Contemporaries Chair Sacha Craddock steps down after extraordinary service to the arts
01.12.21

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Sacha Craddock, 2021. Photo by Isabelle Young.

Having steered New Contemporaries consistently for twenty-five years, Sacha Craddock is stepping down as Chair of our Board.

A prolific art writer, critic and curator, during Sacha’s tenure, our annual touring exhibition has supported over 1,000 artists, has travelled over 6,000 miles and has received over 1 million visitors across the length and breadth of the UK, including the 2021 show at Firstsite, Colchester and South London Gallery. It is this ambitious vision which has seen New Contemporaries firmly establish itself as a cultural force, becoming a widely respected event in the cultural calendar.

Sacha’s tenure with us has charted the recent changes in arts education and what it means to be an artist, as well as the developments in exhibition making and the network of museums and galleries across the UK.

She has left an indelible legacy at New Contemporaries. I know that many will join us in expressing gratitude for Sacha’s devotion to the organisation and her significant contribution over the past twenty-five years.



Announcing New Trustees to our Board
01.06.21

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Clockwise: Hurvin Anderson, photo by Jooney Woodward; Claire Kitchen, photo courtesy of our trustee, and Harold Offeh, photo by Alex O’Brien.

We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new trustees: Hurvin Anderson, Claire Kitchen and Harold Offeh. Hurvin Anderson is an artist and previous New Contemporaries selector. Claire Kitchen is an experienced commercial litigator. Harold Offeh is an artist and New Contemporaries alumni. We greatly look forward to working with them.