Kiriko Watanabe, currently the Gail & Stephen A. Jarislowsky Curator at the Audain Art Museum is interested in the visual culture of British Columbia, with a special appreciation of mid-century modernist traditions. Born and raised in Japan, she has a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and a Master’s degree in critical curatorial studies, both from the University of British Columbia.
In 2003, she started working as an assistant curator at the West Vancouver Museum, playing a key role in the museum’s revitalization and evolution. Her dedication to raising awareness of West Coast Modern architecture and design earned her a Metro Vancouver 2010 RAIC Advocate of Architecture Award of Excellence from the Royal Institute of Canada.
Watanabe is a co-author of Selwyn Pullan: Photographing Midcentury West Coast Modernism, published by Douglas & McIntyre in 2012, and has curated exhibitions related to British Columbia art, architecture and design, as well as traditional and contemporary Japanese art.
