LEADERSHIP

Founder & Executive Director

Yani Dong is a curator, cultural strategist, and the founder of Whizz Art Foundation. Trained in art history at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and arts management at Carnegie Mellon University, she works across Shanghai and Los Angeles to bridge emerging artistic practice with public programming and cross-sector partnerships.

Her curatorial work spans immersive exhibitions, international artist residencies, and large-scale public art initiatives. Under her leadership, the foundation is developing a "Public Charity + Impact Investing" model that channels resources from cross-sector collaborations back into sustaining artistic production. She is a U.S. O-1 visa recipient and a member of NEXUS Global.

Featured in: Bustle (May 2026)

ADVISORS

Art & Cultural Advisor

Deke Erh is one of China's most prominent cultural figures — a photographer, author, publisher, and preservationist whose career spans over four decades. He has published more than 50 books documenting the architectural heritage and cultural transformation of Shanghai. As the founder of the Deke Erh Art Center and the originator of the Silk Road Visual Documenta project, he brings deep institutional knowledge of China's art landscape and an extensive network connecting heritage preservation, contemporary practice, and public cultural programming.

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

Strategic Space & ESG Partner