Dallas Contemporary is going international. Replacing the previous director, Joan Davidow, who led the artspace into its new warehouse home near the Design District, will be Peter Doroshenko. He is the recent artistic director of the Pinchuk Art Centre in Kiev — which is dedicated to the “contemporary art of the 21st century” aimed at “the dynamic interlacing of new production, presentation, and collection bridging national identity and international challenge.”

Doroshenko is a curator with international connections and experience. But despite the Kiev link and his Ukranian name (twice, he was the commissioner for the Ukranian Pavillion at the Venice Biennale), Doroshenko was actually born in Chicago. Before heading up the Pinchuk, Doroshenko ran the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in England. And he has had experience in Texas: He’s worked at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston as well as lecturing at the Glassell School of Art there.

Here’s the full press release:

Dallas Contemporary Names Peter Doroshenko As New Executive Director

Dallas, TX [July 6, 2010] Dallas Contemporary announces the selection of Peter Doroshenko as its next Executive Director. The Museum selected Mr. Doroshenko, recently the President and Artistic Director of the Pinchuk Art Centre in Kiev, from an extensive field of national and international candidates. A committee established by the institution’s Board of Directors led the search. Mr. Doroshenko was elected at a recent meeting of the Board of Directors and will assume the directorship in October 2010.

“The appointment of Peter Doroshenko is a major step in positioning Dallas Contemporary for the future,” said Jo Marie Lilly, President of the Dallas Contemporary Board. “His knowledge, leadership skills and commitment to innovation will assist us in making a major impact on the cultural landscape of the City of Dallas.”

Speaking from Brussels today, Peter Doroshenko said, “I look forward to my new responsibilities at Dallas Contemporary. Celebrating local and engaging international artists will be important for the cultural milieu. With all of the arts organizations in the city, Dallas is an exciting and right place to be.”

“Peter impressed us with his knowledge of and his energy and passion for contemporary art. He is an internationally respected curator, director, and writer whose appointment is exciting for both Dallas Contemporary and the City of Dallas.” said Board President-elect, Patrick Collins.

In addition to the Pinchuk Art Centre, Mr. Doroshenko has held Directorship positions at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead; Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst-SMAK, Ghent; and the Institute of Visual Arts at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. From 1991-1995 he was the curator of Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston. Most recently, Doroshenko organized one-person exhibitions including: Serhiy Bratkov, Andreas Gursky, Mariko Mori, Pascal Marthine-Tayou, and Sam Taylor-Wood. Doroshenko is currently completing two books on contemporary art to be published in 2010 by Rispoli Books.

He has also lectured extensively at international post-graduate programs including the Core Program at the Glassell School of Art, Houston; de Ateliers, Amsterdam; and the Pavilion/Palais de Tokyo, Paris. A native of Chicago, Mr. Doroshenko is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin,Milwaukee. He completed the Independent Study Program at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York and graduate studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.