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Essential reading from the global art world. Critical essays, in-depth reporting, and the conversations that matter.

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The Year Art Learns to Breathe: Reading the Signals in 2026

Something curious is happening to the rhythm of the art world. Walk through any major gallery district lately and you'll notice it—a subtle shift in energy, a different quality of attention. The breathless pace that defined the 2010s, with its endless art fairs and Instagram-optimized spectacles, seems to be exhaling. 2026 might be the year we see what comes next.

"From Venice's 'minor keys' to Sydney's memory work, there's renewed interest in art that unfolds over time rather than delivering immediate impact—a subtle but significant shift away from the attention-economy aesthetics that dominated the last decade."

The Human Residue: Why Art Matters in an Age of Endless Creation

In the face of infinite synthetic beauty, the value of art lies not in its final product, but in its process—the evidence of human intention struggling against material resistance.

"The appeal of a heavily impastoed painting is no longer just texture; it is a declaration of labor against the frictionless output of the algorithm."

The Global List: Your Guide to the 2025 Art Biennials & Triennials

From the deserts of California to the mountains of Japan, a dense calendar of biennials and triennials is shaping the global art conversation. Your essential guide to the key events of 2025.

Remembering Koyo Kouoh, The Curator Who Built a New Center of Gravity

"She refused to plead for a seat at the Western art world's table; instead, she built a new table, in Africa."

The visionary who irrevocably shifted the global conversation around contemporary African art leaves an indelible legacy.

The 2025 Biennale Grand Tour

Forget art fair fatigue. These are the ten essential cultural pilgrimages of the year—from Whitney's political lightning rod to Sharjah's post-colonial dialogues.

The Ghost and the Machine: Why Performa 25 Is New York's Most Urgent Exhibition

In a world saturated by digital replication, Performa's insistence on the live moment has become a radical act. The biennial champions the uncollectible, the unreproducible, and the un-flippable.

The Heartbeat of the Megalopolis: Inside the Radical Promise of the 36th Bienal de São Paulo

How Antropofagia—cultural cannibalism—shapes Brazil's revolutionary approach to the global biennial. The first Indigenous curatorial collective signals a fundamental dismantling of the colonial model.

The Biennale 100

The Ones to Watch for Impact and Influence in Global Contemporary Art

Regional Highlights

Discover important biennales by region

documenta

Kassel, Germany | Every 5 years

Manifesta

Various Cities, Europe | Biennial

Lyon Biennale

Lyon, France | Biennial

Athens Biennale

Athens, Greece | Biennial

Skulptur Projekte Münster

Münster, Germany | Every 10 years

Helsinki Biennial

Helsinki, Finland | Biennial

Yokohama Triennale

Yokohama, Japan | Triennial

Shanghai Biennale

Shanghai, China | Biennial

Kochi-Muziris Biennale

Kochi, India | Biennial

Taipei Biennial

Taipei, Taiwan | Biennial

FRONT International

Cleveland, USA | Triennial

Mercosul Biennial

Porto Alegre, Brazil | Biennial

Prospect New Orleans

New Orleans, USA | Triennial

Dak'Art

Dakar, Senegal | Biennial

Marrakech Biennale

Marrakech, Morocco | Biennial

Biennale of Sydney

Sydney, Australia | Biennial

Asia Pacific Triennial

Brisbane, Australia | Triennial

Explore the Complete Biennale Directory

Access our comprehensive database of global art biennales, triennales, and other recurring exhibitions

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