Interview with Independent Curator Daniel Baumann

Daniel Baumann is a Swiss curator and art historian who served as the director of Kunsthalle Zürich from January 2015 until February 2025. Renowned for his innovative approach to contemporary art, Baumann has a rich curatorial background. In 1996, he became curator at the Adolf Wölfli Foundation in Bern and between 2003 and 2010 he directed Kunsttangente, a public art project in Basel. In 2004, Daniel Baumann established an ongoing exhibition series in Tbilisi, Georgia, and in 2008 he co-founded the independent art space New Jerseyy in Basel. In 2013 he co-curated the Carnegie International in Pittsburgh. During his decade-long tenure at Kunsthalle Zürich, Baumann shaped the institution into a dynamic platform for experimental and internationally significant contemporary art, leaving a lasting impact before transitioning to work as an independent curator. He has curated exhibitions with artists such as Andro Wekua, Phyllida Barlow, Albert Oehlen and Rob Pruitt. He was a contributing writer for Exhibition #1, Kunst Bulletin, Parkett, and Spike Art Quarterly. Baumann received the Swiss Award for Best Curator in 2006 and was appointed Special Advisor for Frieze in 2009. In this conversation (in German, English subtitles via YouTube player settings), Daniel Baumann talks about his many projects such as New Jerseyy, his time at Kunsthalle Zürich, and future projects.

Interview with Independent Curator Daniel Baumann. Basel (Switzerland), March 4, 2025.