Spotlight with Kōan Jeff Baysa
Kōan Jeff Baysa, Founder and Creative Director, iB202X, Los Angeles, USA.
Could you tell us a little more about your background and how you got into curating?
I came to contemporary art curating through the back door and out of left field. In the protracted all-consuming timeline of becoming a specialist physician, the artist in me found that one way for a busy medical doctor to be present, vicariously, in the art world was to become an art collector. Passionate in curating my personal art collection, I began curating exhibitions for other audiences, beginning in Hawai’i. Approached by a Washington DC Commission to curate an international travelling exhibition, I was hooked on the process. I then applied for and was accepted to the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program as a Curatorial Fellow. This ultimately allowed me to remain in New York for 15 years with a medical office in TriBeCa and a parallel curatorial practice. Being on the Program Board of Art Omi and the Advisory Board of the Vera List Center for Art and Politics grounded me further in the art world. When I decamped for Los Angeles, I left clinical practice for nonclinical translational medicine and continue to curate exhibitions internationally.
Who/what has influenced your curatorial practice?
Certainly, my medical education, but also my undergraduate pursuit of physical anthropology and marine biology, with interests in exobiology, cultural concepts of disease, and disruptions of the human sensorium. Deep dive curatorial research and foreign travel deeply influence my peripatetic practice that incorporates social activism and environmental responsibility.
The role of the curator is continuously changing. Could you describe what it means to be a curator today?
With apologies to James Baldwin for paraphrasing his statement: “The purpose of curators today is to lay bare the questions that have been hidden by the answers.”
What’s next for you? What are your upcoming projects?
Developing an art summit addressing sustainability and waste management in the Himalayas, the third component of our endangered cryosphere.
What are you reading, watching, or listening to now, that is helping you to stay relaxed and positive?
I’m attentive to the conversations about Artificial Intelligence and creative practices.
How long have you been part of IKT and how do you feel that it has benefited your curatorial practice?
Since 2022. The camaraderie and sharing of information and resources with fellow IKT members, extending beyond the physical gatherings, have been enriching beyond measure. Mahalo nui to you all!
Thank you Kōan!
Follow Kōan Jeff Baysa on social media: Instagram | LinkedIn
Spotlight
Spotlight is a new series of short interviews, aiming to provide insights about IKT members, their curatorial practice and projects in which they are involved. The series is intended to boost members' engagement with the network and help them find new opportunities for collaboration.
Want to participate?
Send us a request to ikt.curatorial@gmail.com and we will send you interview questions.