Ekachai Eksaroj

Ekachai Eksaroj has headed the Kasseler Kunstverein's office since January 2024 and is motivated to contribute his experience and expertise to the association. "With its large exhibition space, the Kunstverein in the Fridericianum museum building is a unique field of experimentation and a place to encounter art and culture. Together with the great board team, we will set new accents to continue to give the association a contemporary and sustainable shape," says Eksaroj, looking forward to his new challenges.

His wealth of experience as co-founder of the project space "LAGE___x" in Kassel has encouraged Eksaroj to apply to the Kunstverein: "By managing the project space, I have worked with many different artistic positions both nationally and internationally, so I am familiar with curatorial work processes. This will help me to effectively implement coordinative and administrative aspects in my new position." As a trained fashion designer with a preference for the minimalist, the Managing Director can also draw on approaches from the design sector and support the Kunstverein in thinking about aesthetic elements in the exhibition architecture. At the same time, he wants to work in a solution-oriented way: "Design is often about developing concrete solutions for everyday life and taking into account aspects of implementing a project in a cost-effective, sustainable and resource-saving way," says Eksaroj.

As Managing Director, Eksaroj wants to open up the Kunstverein to more diversity, which is both an opportunity and a challenge: "An exhibition is always part of an overall management process. In order to create barrier-free access, it is important to me to support the curatorial board in the exhibition concept in order to think for all people with special needs," emphasizes Eksaroj. For inclusion and accessibility, for example, the integration of "easy language" in the exhibition presentation is essential. This places special demands on accessible exhibition design and accompanying communication: "Communication and art education must be considered from the very beginning of the project. This ranges from the communication of the work text, the guided tours and the catalog to the digital announcement of an exhibition," explains the director.

Characteristic of the Kunstverein's artistic program are, among other things, experimental projects that deal with contemporary artistic and socially relevant content. "Caring in times of Continuous Crisis - Ecologies" opens at the Kasseler Kunstverein on April 19, 2024. "We are in the middle of preparing the exhibition. It's a lot of fun to support the people involved in the exhibition. I don't even realize how incredibly quickly the time until the opening passes," laughs Eksaroj.

Ekachai Eksaroj (born in Bangkok, grew up in Baden) studied fashion design at the Lette Verein Berlin and visual arts at the Kunsthochschule Kassel. After completing his studies, he was a master student at the Braunschweig University of Art. He was a scholarship holder at the Willingshausen artists' colony and at Balmoral Castle in Rhineland-Palatinate.

(Text in German: Çiğdem Özdemir)

Information on the next exhibition at the Kasseler Kunstverein can be found at:
www.kasselerkunstverein.de