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 Biennale
The oldest and most influential biennale of contemporary art.
Est. 1895 São Paulo, BrazilBienal de São Paulo
The second-oldest biennale, and Latin America's defining survey.
Est. 1951 Kassel, Germanydocumenta
The five-yearly exhibition that resets contemporary art's terms.
Est. 1955 Sydney, AustraliaBiennale of Sydney
The Asia-Pacific's leading biennale of contemporary art.
Est. 1973 New York, USAWhitney Biennial
The recurring survey that takes the temperature of American art.
Est. 1932 Sharjah, UAESharjah Biennial
A defining platform for art from the Global South.
Est. 1993 Istanbul, TurkeyIstanbul Biennial
Contemporary art where Europe and Asia meet.
Est. 1987 Gwangju, South KoreaGwangju Biennale
Asia's first biennale, rooted in a legacy of democratic memory.
Est. 1995 Dakar, SenegalDak'Art
The continent's foremost biennale of contemporary African art.
Est. 1992 Roaming, EuropeManifesta
The nomadic European biennale, a new host city each edition.
Est. 1996 Kochi, IndiaKochi-Muziris Biennale
India's first and largest biennale of contemporary art.
Est. 2012 New York, USAPerforma
The biennale dedicated to live performance.
Est. 2005The biennale circuit, in one place.
These are the headline guides. The full directory runs to 100+ recurring biennales, with the structured database alongside.