X Zhu-Nowell Transforms Rockbund Art Museum into 'Resistant Institution' with Historical Dialogues

X Zhu-Nowell joined Rockbund Art Museum (RAM) in Shanghai as artistic director in 2023, initiating structural and conceptual changes. She was appointed executive director and chief curator in January 2025. Under her leadership, RAM has staged exhibitions that create historical dialogues across unexpected geographies and center historically marginalized voices. Zhu-Nowell describes RAM as a 'resistant institution' where multiple temporalities and political languages coexist without reconciliation. The museum engages communities both within and beyond traditional museum audiences. Ambitious projects are taking shape for 2026. These shifts reflect her curatorial thinking about institutional resistance in practice.