London-based nonprofit Yan Du Project (YDP) has appointed Billy Tang as its artistic director, effective this month, ahead of the opening of its new home in a Grade I-listed townhouse on Bedford Square this October. Tang, who was born in London to Vietnamese refugee parents, returns to the city after serving as executive director and curator at Para Site in Hong Kong, and previously held curatorial roles at Magician Space in Beijing and Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai. YDP is the second nonprofit founded by ARTnews Top 200 Collector Yan Du, following the Asymmetry Foundation launched in 2019.
This appointment matters because it signals YDP's ambition to become a major platform for Asian and Asian diaspora artists, moving beyond a Western-centric framework. Tang's experience across institutions in China, Hong Kong, and the UK positions him to build a flexible, experimental program that prioritizes emerging practices and international voices. The move also reflects ongoing shifts in the global art world, as institutions rethink their priorities amid political and economic challenges in Hong Kong and seek to strengthen connections between Asia and the UK.