International Contemporary Art Museum
International Contemporary Art Museum
A forward-thinking pioneer with the insight of an educator and the passion of an art enthusiast, Purat envisions Dib Bangkok as a global hub for creative learning—an inspiring space designed to engage the next generation of artists, thinkers, and innovators. More than just a contemporary art museum, Dib Bangkok represents the culmination of a multi-generational mission to transform the modern art landscape. It serves as a cultural sanctuary where artistic expression nurtures spiritual connections and fosters meaningful cross-cultural dialogue. Through this visionary platform, Purat is not only elevating the art world but also creating a transformative experience that resonates across generations and cultures.
Miwako Tezuka was appointed Director of Dib Bangkok in February 2024. Before her relocation to Bangkok, she was a dedicated art professional in New York where she held positions at the Reversible Destiny Foundation (RDF), established by Arakawa and Madeline Gins. As the Associate Director of RDF, she advocated for A+G’s distinctive work spanning art, poetry, and architecture. Their works were exhibited by esteemed galleries such as Gagosian and Castelli Gallery.
Tezuka’s career also includes roles as the Gallery Director of Japan Society, New York (2012–2015), and Curator of Contemporary Art at Asia Society Museum, New York (2005–2012). She has curated and co-curated numerous exhibitions featuring artists such as Chen Chieh-jen, Robert Indiana, Kimsooja, Maya Lin, Mariko Mori, Yoshitomo Nara, Pinaree Sanpitak, teamLab, Yang Fudong, among others. She has also contributed to many exhibition catalogues and publications from such reputed institutions as MoMA, NY; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Wash. DC; San Francisco Asian Art Museum, CA; and Setagaya Museum of Art, Tokyo, on artists and art collectives including Jikken Kobo (Experimental Workshop), Yayoi Kusama, Lee Ufan, teamLab, and more.
Her recent large-scale project, as Associate Curator, was the Hawaiʻi Triennial 2022, which took place at seven venues throughout Honolulu in Oʻahu, showcasing the works of forty-six artists and art collectives from Asia and the Pacific region.
Tezuka holds a PhD in post-war Japanese art history from Columbia University, New York. She is also the Co-Founder and Co-Director of PoNJA-GenKon, an online global network of more than 250 postwar Japanese art scholars and curators founded in 2003. In addition, Tezuka currently sits on the board of Collaborative Cataloguing Japan (CCJ), an international non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of Japanese experimental moving images produced from the 1950s through 1980s, and the Brooklyn Experimental Art Foundation (BEAF), a non-profit organization supporting art practitioners through cultural exchange and the strategic utilization of technology.