Guides
Critical companions to the world's biennales.
Editorial guides to the major recurring exhibitions — each read at full critical weight: the current edition, the defining moments, and the people behind the institution.
Venice, Italy · est. 1895
Venice Biennale
The oldest and most influential biennial of contemporary art.
Read the guide →São Paulo, Brazil · est. 1951
Bienal de São Paulo
The second-oldest biennial, and Latin America's defining survey.
Read the guide →Kassel, Germany · est. 1955
documenta
The five-yearly exhibition that resets contemporary art's terms.
Read the guide →Sydney, Australia · est. 1973
Biennale of Sydney
The Asia-Pacific's leading biennial of contemporary art.
Read the guide →New York, USA · est. 1932
Whitney Biennial
The recurring survey that takes the temperature of American art.
Read the guide →Sharjah, UAE · est. 1993
Sharjah Biennial
A defining platform for art from the Global South.
Read the guide →Istanbul, Turkey · est. 1987
Istanbul Biennial
Contemporary art where Europe and Asia meet.
Read the guide →Gwangju, South Korea · est. 1995
Gwangju Biennale
Asia's first biennial, rooted in a legacy of democratic memory.
Read the guide →Dakar, Senegal · est. 1992
Dak'Art
The continent's foremost biennial of contemporary African art.
Read the guide →Roaming, Europe · est. 1996
Manifesta
The nomadic European biennial, a new host city each edition.
Read the guide →Kochi, India · est. 2012
Kochi-Muziris Biennale
India's first and largest biennial of contemporary art.
Read the guide →New York, USA · est. 2005
Performa
The biennial dedicated to live performance.
Read the guide →Every biennale, fully indexed.
These are the headline guides. The complete directory holds all 106, with the structured database alongside.