Aleph Contemporary

Jonathan Watkins is a highly respected independent curator and writer with a career spanning several decades at the forefront of the international contemporary art scene. He is best known for his long and influential tenure as the Director of the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham (1999–2022), having previously served as Curator of the Serpentine Gallery (1995–1997) and Director of the Chisenhale Gallery (1990–1995) in London.

Watkins’ reputation is built on his curation of numerous large-scale international exhibitions, including the Biennale of Sydney (1998), the Shanghai Biennale (2006), and the Sharjah Biennial (2007). He also curated the Iraqi Pavilion for the Venice Biennale in 2013. His writing is equally distinguished, focusing on contemporary art and including the Phaidon monograph on Japanese artist On Kawara. He is recognized as a profound thinker on the visual arts, even earning a nomination as one of the top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy Magazine in 2013.

Contribution to Aleph Contemporary: Baffle

For Aleph Contemporary, Jonathan Watkins contributed to the online exhibition Henry Ward: Baffle, which ran from July 1 to September 30, 2021. His contribution was an interview with the artist, Henry Ward, which accompanied the exhibition.

Baffle Exhibition Context: The solo exhibition featured a new body of paintings and large composites by London-based artist Henry Ward. The works explored the tension between order and disorder, combining geometric forms, gestural strokes, and an approach to surface that evoked a sculptural quality.

Watkins' Role: By conducting the interview, Watkins provided a crucial layer of academic and curatorial insight, guiding viewers through Ward's process-driven practice and the purposeful contradictions within his work—a sensibility that aligns with Watkins' own career-long interest in artists who use formal inventiveness to explore complex themes. The interview video was an essential component of the online exhibition, enhancing the intellectual engagement with Ward's challenging paintings.

Watkins' involvement with Aleph Contemporary, even as a writer and interviewer, underscores the gallery’s commitment to collaborating with globally recognized figures whose work prioritizes in-depth critical dialogue and thoughtful artistic analysis.

The video below features Jonathan Watkins interviewing Henry Ward about his exhibition Baffle for Aleph Contemporary.