faculty profile

Appointed as Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs in April 2006, Hou Hanru is responsible for formulating and overseeing exhibitions in SFAI's Walter and McBean galleries, which have been significant venues for exhibiting contemporary art since 1969. Additionally, Hanru oversees SFAI's distinguished visiting artist and scholar residency programs, which bring dozens of prominent cultural practitioners to the school every year. As Chair of SFAI's Exhibition and Museum Studies program, he provides an international vision for understanding the relationship between museums, exhibitions, and contemporary culture. 

Born in Guangzhou, China, Hou received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, where he was trained in art history, with additional work in painting, performance, installation, and architectural research. Coming to California via Paris, where he lived for sixteen years, Hou has brought a significant international voice on cultural difference to San Francisco. He is a contributor to international art journals including Frieze, Art in America, Art and Asia Pacific, and Yishu, etc, as well as catalogues and books of contemporary art and culture. In addition to programming at the Walter and McBean Galleries, Hou has undertaken curatorial projects including the 10th Istanbul Biennial, 2007, and the 10th Biennale de Lyon, 2009; in 2013, he will curate New Zealand’s 5th Auckland Triennial. Maintaining his global profile, he is also a consultant for several cultural institutions including the Solomon Guggenheim Museum, Deutsche Bank Collection, Kadist Art Foundation, Times Museum (Guangzhou), and Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai).