Bio

Jan Boelen (1967, Belgium) is a curator of design, architecture, and contemporary art. He is the artistic director of Atelier LUMA, an experimental laboratory for design in Arles, France. Boelen studied Product Design at in Genk and is the founder and former artistic director of Z33 – House for contemporary art in Hasselt, Belgium. He was founder of the Master Social design at the Design Academy of Eindhoven till 2020 and Rektor of the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design from 2019 till 2023. In 2014 he curated BIO50, the design biennal of Ljubljana in Slovenia. He was curator of the 4th Istanbul Design Biennial in Istanbul (2018) and initiated Manifesta 9 in Belgium (2012). Lastly, Boelen curated the Lithuanian Pavilion Planet of People in the Venice Architecture Biennial (2021).

Over the years he has been fashioning projects and exhibitions that encourage the visitor to look at everyday objects in a novel manner.
Boelen recently edited Social Matter, Social Design: For Good or Bad, all Design is Social (Valiz, 2020), and Muller Van Severen: Dialogue (Walther Koenig, 2021) and Atelier Luma, Bioregional design practices (Luma, 2023) His writing addresses the implications of design in everyday life and how artistic practices can shape the discipline.

For a selected overview of additional activities and experiences please check Jan Boelen’s CV.

CV

Work

2016 –Artistic Director and co-founder of Atelier LUMA, LUMA Arles. Arles, France
2019 – 2023Rector at Karlsruhe University of Art & Design (HfG). Karlsruhe, Germany
2001 – 2019Artistic Director and Founder of Z33 House for Contemporary Art. Hasselt, Belgium
2017 – 2018Curator of the 4th Istanbul Design Biennial. Istanbul, Turkey
2010 – 2020Head of Master Department Social Design, Design Academy Eindhoven. Eindhoven, The Netherlands
2013 – 2014Curator of biennial of design BIO50, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
2001 – 2010Lecturer, Design Academy Eindhoven, Department Man and Well-Being. Eindhoven, The Netherlands
2001 – 2011Project Manager, Design, Anno ’02. Kortrijk, Belgium
1998 – 2001Director, Centre for Integral Product Design CEPRO. Waregem, Belgium
1998 – 1999Host Lecturer, Product Design, Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg. Genk, Belgium
1995 – 1998Product Manager, Kreon. Antwerp, Belgium
1995 – 1996Lecturer and host lecturer, Design Theory, Provinciale Hogeschool Limburg, Department Graphic and Advertisement Design. Hasselt, Belgium

Recent Publications

2023Atelier Luma, Bioregional Design Practices (Luma)
2021Muller Van Severen: Dialogue. (Walther König)
2020Social Matter, Social Design: For Good or Bad, all Design is Social. (Valiz, Amsterdam)
2018Studio Future, Future Thinking in Art and Design. (Black Dog Press)

Education

1986 – 1992Product Design, Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg (former SHIVKV now Luca school of arts).
Thesis: Game as Metaphor for the Twentieth Century. Magna Cum Laude. Genk, Belgium

Activities (selection)

Previous:

President of the architecture and design Commission of the Flemish Community. Member of the Dutch creative fund selection commissions.
Board member Manifesta International, and Manifesta 9 Member of the advisory board. Fondazione Matera-Basilicata 2019. Matera, Italy and former member of the advisory board. V&A Museum of Design Dundee. Dundee, Great Britain. Hochschulrat Karlshochschule Karlsruhe.

Currently:

Board member Foundation d’Entreprise Martell, Cognac, France.

Workshops talks and lectures:

Harvard Graduate School of Design, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, JRC Ispra, WEF Davos, Kunstgewerbe Museum Hamburg, Centre Pompidou, Norman Foster Foundation, Vitra Design Museum, London Design Museum, ZKM, Het Nieuw Instituut. CCA, Copenhagen. Porto Design Biennial,…