the most interesting biennials to visit this year

60th Venice Biennale: Foreigners Everywhere

Arsenale and Giardini, Venice, Italy, April 20-November 24

Adriano Pedrosa, São Paulo curator of the 2024 Venice Biennale, assures that its edition will be more current than ever, touching on economic and socio-political issues through the figure of foreigner (foreign or alien).

This idea of ​​the marginal spectator is linked to queer artists, who have often been persecuted or outlawed, as well as foreign artists, self-taught and indigenous creatives, who “are often treated as foreigners in their own land”, says Pedrosa.

He emphasizes that the Biennial will focus especially on artists who have moved between the Global South and the Global North. Pedrosa is the first Latin American curator—and the first from the southern hemisphere—to curate the Venice Biennale.

Pedrosa adds in a statement that “the backdrop of the work is a world plagued by multiple crises related to the movement and existence of people across countries, nations, territories and borders. This reflects the dangers and pitfalls of language, translation and ethnicity, expressing differences and disparities conditioned by identity, nationality, race, gender, sexuality, wealth and freedom.

The Biennale will also have a section with works by 20th century artists from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. A special part will be dedicated to the Italian artistic diaspora of the 20th century.

24th Biennale of Sydney: Ten Thousand Suns

Various venues including Artspace and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, March 9 to June 10

Organizers want to inspire visitors to “come together to thrive in the face of injustice” through the works of 88 artists from 47 countries, according to a project statement. The directors, Cosmin Costinaș and Inti Guerrero, aim to address a range of topics, from the resurgence of indigenous technologies, which enable these communities to live sustainably, to the history of Islam in Australia. The Fondation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain in Paris commissioned 14 First Nations artists for the Biennale.

II Biennale of Contemporary Art of Diriyah: After the rain

Various locations, Jax District, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 20-May 24

The drive to promote Saudi Arabia’s cultural credentials continues. Directed by the German curator Ute Meta Bauer, the biennial will feature 92 artists from 43 countries. Several new commissions include work by Saudi artist Ahmed Mater and Berlin-based photographer Armin Linke, who are collaborating on a project documenting “Saudi Futurism” since the 1940s.

The complete list of 2024 biennials and triennials

Biennial of Lagos
Lagos, Nigeria, February 3-10

Lahore Biennale
Lahore, Pakistan, Feb. 9-Mar

II Biennale of Contemporary Art Diriyah
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 20-May 24

Art Manifesto 11—Quebec City Biennial
Quebec City, Canada, February 23 to April 28

24th Biennale of Sydney
Sydney, Australia, March 9-June 10

8th Yokohama Triennial
Yokohama, Japan, March 15-June 9

Contemporary from Nîmes
Nîmes, France, from April 5 to June 23

Anozero’24: Coimbra Contemporary Art Biennial
Coimbra, Portugal, April 6-June 30

Bruges Triennial
Bruges, Belgium, April 13-September 1

60 Venice Biennale
Venice, Italy, April 20-November 24

Innsbruck International
Innsbruck, Austria, May 3-26

6th Biennial of Mardin
Mardin, Turkey, May 10-June 10

Gherdëina Biennial 9
Val Gardena, Italy, May 31-September 1

Glasgow International
Glasgow, Scotland, June 7-23

Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial
Echigo-Tsumari, Japan, July 13-November 10

15th Gwangju Biennale
Gwangju, South Korea, September 7-December 1

Manifesto 15
Barcelona, ​​Spain, September 8-November 24

XIV Mercosur Biennial
Porto Alegre, Brazil, September 13-November 17

XVIII Istanbul Biennial
Istanbul, Turkey, September 14-November 17

Lofoten International Art Festival
Lofoten, Norway, September 20-October 20

XVII Lyon Biennale
Lyon, France, 21 September-5 January 2024

Toronto Art Biennial
Toronto, Canada, September 21-December 1

Bangkok Art Biennale
Bangkok, Thailand, 24 October to 25 February 2025

XI Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art
Brisbane, Australia, 30 November to 27 April 2025

Abu Dhabi Public Art Biennale
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, November