Nicola Lees has today been announced as the new Curator of Frieze Foundation, responsible for the unique programme of artist commissions, which takes place annually at Frieze London. Lees will also take up a position on the judging panel of the Emdash Award 2013, giving an emerging international artist the opportunity to participate in the Frieze Projects
programme. Frieze Projects and the Emdash Award are supported by the Emdash Foundation.

Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover, Co-Directors of Frieze commented: 

Lees added,

For the past five years Nicola Lees has worked as Senior Curator of Public Programmes at the Serpentine Gallery, London, where she oversaw interdisciplinary, time-based and performance projects. Programmes included the annual Park Nights series of site-specific commissions, for the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, including artists: Becky Beasley, Oscar Murillo, James Richards and Alexandre Singh. Lees encouraged participants to take a cross-disciplinary approach, resulting in works such as Helen Marten’s first film, Dust and Piranhas (2011) and Michael Dean’s first piece of theatre, Acts of Grass (2011).

From 2008, Lees co-curated, with Hans Ulrich Obrist, the Serpentine Gallery Marathon; a series of two-day, interdisciplinary events that bring together world-renowned and emerging practitioners across all fields, from the arts to the sciences. In 2009, Lees initiated the Serpentine Cinema series (programmed with Victoria Brooks, Curator, EMPAC). With screenings of
new work, rare archival footage and work-in-progress, the series intended to support artists’ filmmaking in a cinema context. Participants have included: Dara Birnbaum, Declan Clarke, Owen Land, Rivane Neuenschwander, Lili Reynaud-Dewar, Wael Shawky, Corin Sworn with Guy de Cointet and Javier Téllez.

Throughout her work Lees is committed to the research and development of education strategies, which has culminated in a number of conferences including ‘Deschooling Society’ produced in collaboration with the Hayward Gallery (with Sally Tallant, Director, Liverpool Biennale; and Janna Graham).

Lees takes over the role from Sarah McCrory, who held the position from 2009–2012 and is now Director of Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art. The position was also previously held by Neville Wakefield (2006-2008) and Polly Staple (2003–2006).