I am an independent curator, creative director, writer and Adjunct Professor in architecture at the University of Sydney. Working across the arts and spatial practice I am engaged with different ways of being in the world. From publications to films, events to exhibitions, installations to city making, I combine curatorial and spatial skills to create meaningful and engaging stories and physical experiences.
I co-founded the platform ‘Architecture Amplified’ that creates location specific issue-based events using experimental formats for architects and the wider public. My expertise is sought on boards and juries, including as a member of the Curatorial Committee for the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, the Tin Sheds Gallery Advisory Board, and a juror for the 2024 Australian Institute of Architecture NSW awards. I received a Byera Hadley Travel Fellowship, completing a study of the architecture of Aboriginal art centres in the Northern Territory.
Over an 18-year career at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, I had the honour of working closely with artists and architects on a world stage. As Heinz Curator and Head of Architecture I was instrumental in elevating the scope and status of the public-facing architecture activities of the institution. I curated numerous exhibitions including the ground-breaking Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined (2014), Inside Heatherwick Studio (2015-2016), and Renzo Piano: The Art of Making Buildings (2018). I commissioned public art and installations, commissioned and produced films, directed arts festivals and established the Royal Academy’s creative programme team. I founded an international awards programme celebrating inspirational contributions to the culture of architecture. Many of these projects can be found here.
Returning to Australia after nearly 2 decades abroad, I have been inspired by the long-overdue acknowledgment of First Nations knowledges and connection to Country, and the recalibration taking place in the architecture profession. I am on my own journey of unlearning and re-learning to be an effective ally for First Nations voices.
I teach architecture students, primarily at the University of Sydney, and enjoy what I learn from them in return. I deliver public lectures, chair panels, and continue to hone my critical skills as I write for publications across the globe. I was a member of the Golden Lion Jury for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale and awarded a RIBA Honorary Fellowship in 2016.
I am curious about people and places, a kinaesthetic thinker putting my body and mind into action through movement practices, dance, walking, talking, and exploring.
Listen to me here:
Interview with Owen Wainhouse
Architecture Masters: Episode 8
For the London Festival of Architecture
Watch me here:
Dialogues: Body, Time, Space
Grimshaw Gallery Talks
October 2021, Australia