As a curator, Zsuzsanna Ardó has conceived and created many art projects for mainstream and alternative spaces internationally.

Her own varied art collection she has been curating from artists around the world.

Planetwoman

Women creatives, across time and space. Creative concept, writing and curating by Zsuzsanna Ardó, art director of the PlanetWoman international project. Her poems are set to music by women composers (but one) from Austria, Canada, Germany, Serbia, Singapore, Ukraine and US. A coherent, innovative choral programme of new works of urgency. Planetary premieres in Stockholm, LA, NY.

Grand ThêatrE, Luxembourg

Experimental, interactive, multi-disciplinary performance piece of poetry, music, visuals and audience participation. Concept and creatives curated by Zsuzsanna Ardó, from Belgium, Luxembourg and France. (2022)

Why would we remain?

Multidisciplinary creative project of Installations, photography, prints and poetry curated by Ardó. Voices curated from and beyond the UK. Premier produced by the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Concert Series. (2021)

Who are you?

Multidisciplinary creative project of poetry, music, paintings, video and discussion curated by Ardó from Australia, UK and US, for the UK/Australia Cultural Season. Featured by King’s College London and the British Council. (2021)

Big Freeze challenge - Polar self PortraitS_3

Scott Polar Research Institute Polar Museum, University of Cambridge. 4-14.03.2021. Concept, curating, festival opening presentation by Zsuzsanna Ardó.

Earth Day premier, Franklin University Switzerland, 6pm 21st April 2021.

POLAR SELF PORTRAITS_2

Polar self Portraits_2, with music by J. Bostock, curated from five continents by Zsuzsanna Ardó, Premiered at the Ilulissat Art Museum, Greenland 11,2020-02.2021.

European premier at the Polar Museum, Scott Polar Research Institute University of Cambridge 4-14 March, featured by The Big Freeze Art Festival. Festival launch event, interview.

BRRRRRRRREXIT no man is an island

International art project, inspired by the poetry of John Donne and Brexit. (2019) Launched online 12.2019.

drawing britain: a litmus test

International curatorial art project at the UNESCO artist residency, Andorra. Published by openDemocracy.net. (2018)

Polar self Portraits

My article, Polar Self Portraits: Artists from Six Continents on Thin Ice has been published by openDemocracy.net. Polar self Portraits, the film has been screened internationally, including America, the Balkans, Morocco, UK, Arctic, the Antarctic (2016), and the XI Florence Biennale, eARTh. (2017)

17 PsP viewed in Antarctica BAS station.jpg

 

Polar self Portraits is my visual arts project, a new framework for new series of works to interpret my work in the High Arctic.  I've been developing, investigating the relationship/s between (perceived) centrality the self and the (perceived) peripheries of the planet: the polar regions. Given the urgency and relevance of the theme, I opened up PsP, and invited fellow artists to consider their interpretation and enter the conversation with their work. Art has been proposed from six continents. To engage as wide an audience as possible, venues for potential editions of the exhibition, talks, workshops, flash mobs are welcome to get in touch. Would love to hear from unusual venues too, e.g. pubs, hospitals, railway stations or airports. I'm preparing an unusual set of exhibitions, in poetic connection between spaces of water in England, France, Arctica and Antarctica. Invited curator and participating artist at the Boz'Art en Baz'art Art Festival in France. (2016)

Polar self Portraits installation in the press. The installation in France is followed by events in England, starting at the UCL Art Museum in June. Exhibitions confirmed in the Arctic, Antarctic, Albania, Croatia, England, Macedonia, Morocco, Slovenia, the US.

Featured at the Ideas Festival Bristol (2016) and the Florence Biennale (2017).

 

earth impermanence

The story of Earth Impermanence is Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None mystery novel -- but in reverse! My original curatorial concept grew out of the Polar self Portraits project I was working on in the Hudson Valley, in my studio (and in the forest) at the Art Students League's Vyt Residency. First I thought I would like to open up the curatorial concept, and include an artist from the East as well... so I invited a painter from Lahore, working also in an art studio nearby. Thus there were two. Then... I thought of inviting a local artist from the Hudson Valley area as the third to participate would make a statement. Such a trio would be relevant, I thought, given both the global and local relevance of climate change. Thus there were three. And then... by the time of the exhibition launch, well, there were ten. The exhibition is on for a month, throughout September. Heraa and I, the first two of the ten artists, from the East-West duo phase of my curatorial thinking for Earth Impermanence, will contribute to the launch discussion via Skype, from Lahore and Brussels, respectively. If you are in the Hudson Valley/NY come and join us in the gallery of the UACNY. (2016)

Leaves, Lives

A flash mob project about communal memory, engaging the public and schools I designed and created in Vichy, France. (2015)

Africa, Europe, America

A Creatives without Borders exhibition and installation, supported by SynergySync Arts. I researched and designed the concept inspired by two artist residencies in the Caribbean.  From the submitted proposals, 55 artists' work was selected from and beyond the Caribbean. About half of the contributing artists have African cultural and family heritage.  A selection of the Africa, Europe, America triptychs can be viewed here. The Africa, Europe, America triptych was featured at the Boz'art en Baz'art international art festival in France. The artworks were installed as part of the sails of a transatlantic 'ship' and the audience was invited to make their own exploratory journey in the maze of sails. The interactive nature of the installation invited the viewers to discover connections between styles, patterns, themes and artists. During the two-week run there were several school visits, workshops in the gallery as well as local schools.  Feedback about the public engagement work was thrilling, and the local paper La Montaigne covered it. Artists inquiries about submissions and gallery or museum inquiries about the transfer of the installation are welcome through the Contact Page. My article, The calm before the storm, about the project was published by openDemocracy, and the Arts Page: Fats Waller and slave routes inspire triptychs. (2014.)

Mirror, Mirror

A series of art exhibitions of different editions and design, featuring photography, paintings and music I curated internationally, poetry and installation. Produced by Creatives without Borders at the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster, the European Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Boz'Art en Baz'Art Festival in Bellerive, supported by SynergySync Arts. (2014)

ALgebra, ALphabet, ALmutanabbi book art and poetry event at Keats house

I curated this book art and poetry project for a collaborative event by Creatives without Borders and Keats House/the City of London. (2014)

european identites explored: Don't Go Yet – Tell Me a Story

A Creatives without Borders exhibition I curated from across Europe, to tie in the European Identities Revisited philosophy talk and public forum I convened in 2011 in Europe House, Westminster, London. Another edition of this curatorial work was featured later that year at the Europe Festival,  Alla Casa della Creatività, Notte Blu di Firenze, Italy. (2011)

The Spirit of Film: the Road to Casablanca — BAFTA exhibition

British Film Academy, London UK

As a teenager, I immersed myself in the writings of Béla Balázs, the film theorist, critic, writer, filmmaker and director. His work ignited my early interest in visual language – be it embodied in whatever form of visual art, still or moving image. Revisiting recently his writings inspired my curatorial concept for the exhibition at the British Film Academy and three Central London Cinemas. The work I created for this self-curated large scale exhibition at BAFTA was inspired by both film writing and film imagery. During the extended curatorial process, I invited relevant partners to participate in the project, including the British Film Academy (BAFTA), several London cinemas, the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Warwick, the film journal Screen, and the first publishers of Béla Balázs in English. The project was supported by SynergySync Arts and Creatives without Borders. To engage the public as well as film industry professionals, The spirit of film was featured both within and beyond the walls of BAFTA Piccadilly:  Everyman Cinema, Hampstead, Belsize and Baker Street June 2010 to 18th February 2011. Reviews here. (2010-11)

Before the Third Man — BAFTA exhibition

The art of design, an exhibition of iconic film posters for films produced by Sir Alexander Korda. Concept and curating by Zsuzsanna Ardó, featured at the HQ of British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Piccadilly, London. 

Dual Muse – The Artist As Author

The Author As Artist, and the Artist as Author. Curated for artsDepot Gallery London UK

André Kertész Photography Competition

Founding curator and jury chair for four years at the André Kertész Photography Museum, Hungary

About the curatorial work of Zsuzsanna Ardó

Very imaginative use of montage and typography and only dawned on me afterwards how advanced this was.
— Orde Eliason, The PrintRoom Promoting Contemporary Photography
The exhibition looks fabulous in situ, both for its immediate visual impact and for piquing people’s interest so that they take a closer look to ‘get’ each image’s meaning… A pioneering project in many ways. Balázs would be pround!
— Adam Tuck, BAFTA
The exhibition captures incredibly well the ideas that Balázs was trying to communicate.
— Mark Stanton, Berghahn Books – Film Series Editor
A kiállítás pazar és szivet melengető.
— Kertész Bence, Producer
Great eye for design and is full of creative ideas.
— Pete Reynolds, Tate Gallery, formerly BAFTA
Impressive flair and imagination.
— C. Drazin, Film Scholar, University of London
Focussed, imaginative eye.
— D. Korda, Film Finances, Producer
Feast for the senses.
— A. Oldham, Arts Review, Hamsptead and Highgate Express
Magical, brilliant. Vivid and moving.
— F. Cox, Director, Wind, Sand and Stars