The Taipei Fine Arts Museum has announced the appointment of Cecilia Alemani as curator of the 15th Taipei Biennial, scheduled for 2027. The announcement was released on June 4, 2026 by the museum. With the appointment of the Italian curator, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum confirms its willingness to engage curatorial figures capable of challenging traditional exhibition models and expanding the possibilities for dialogue between different cultural geographies. Over the course of more than two decades, Alemani has in fact developed a practice based on the creation of large-scale art commissions, interdisciplinarity and constant reflection regarding the potential of public space and collective imagination.
“Cecilia Alemani is among the most influential curatorial voices of our time,” said TFAM. “Her exhibitions consistently demonstrate a remarkable ability to combine historical research with contemporary urgencies, while remaining deeply attentive to both artists and audiences. We are honored to welcome her as curator of the Taipei Biennial 2027 and look forward to the new perspectives she will bring to Taipei and the international art community.”
One of the hallmarks of Alemani’s professional journey is her abiding interest in historically marginalized artists and cultural practices. Throughout her career, the curator has devoted particular attention to women artists and forms of expression that have often remained on the margins of official art history narratives. Her projects are characterized by her ability to naturally traverse historical and contemporary perspectives, constructing dialogues that challenge dominant narratives and propose new interpretations of the concepts of culture, memory, identity and imagination.
Cecilia Alemani lives and works in New York City, where she has served since 2011 as Donald R. Mullen Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, the public art program developed along the famous High Line. Artists involved in Alemani’s commissioned projects include such personalities as El Anatsui, Phyllida Barlow, Carol Bove, Sheila Hicks, Tishan Hsu, Rashid Johnson, Barbara Kruger, Simone Leigh, Ibrahim Mahama, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Faith Ringgold, Ed Ruscha, Adrián Villar Rojas, and Nari Ward. Cecilia Alemani’s global notoriety grew further in 2022, when she was appointed artistic director of the 59th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. There she curated The Milk of Dreams, an exhibition inspired by the writings of surrealist artist Leonora Carrington. The exhibition project brought together 213 artists from 58 countries, addressing themes related to the transformation of bodies, the relationships between individuals and technology, and the relationships between human beings and the environment.
In 2018 Alemani was also artistic director of the first edition of Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires, a project that extended the model of the famous Swiss fair to an urban and territorial dimension. In 2017, she had instead curated the Italian Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale. Over the years, he has also directed Frieze Projects in New York, curated numerous exhibitions in museums and nonprofit institutions, and contributed significantly to criticism and publications devoted to contemporary art.
Commenting on her own appointment to lead the Taipei Biennial 2027, Cecilia Alemani said, “It is an immense privilege to have been commissioned to curate the next edition of the Taipei Biennial, an exhibition with an extraordinary history in shaping contemporary art discourse. Embarking on my first curatorial project in Asia, I feel both excitement and humility about this opportunity. In the current global context, platforms such as the Taipei Biennial take on even greater importance. They are vital spaces for creative expression and cultural resilience: they remind us of the power of art to promote dialogue and discussion at a crucial time in history. The Taipei Museum of Fine Arts has long been a key bridge between regional narratives and global perspectives, and I am excited to collaborate with the local art community to create an exhibition that resonates deeply across national borders.”
Li-Chen Loh, director of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, also warmly welcomed the appointment of the Italian curator: “The Taipei Biennial has long been a vital crossroads where global art movements meet the distinctive historical and cultural topographies of Asia. We are confident that Cecilia Alemani’s curatorial vision will provide a compelling framework that will enhance Taipei’s distinctive landscape while engaging our local audiences in key dialogues with masters from around the world.”
Founded in 1998, the Taipei Biennial is now considered one of Asia’s longest-running and most influential biennials. Throughout its history, it has played an instrumental role in the development of Taiwanese contemporary art, fostering discussion between local and international communities through a network of relationships built within Asian and global art circuits. Through a multidirectional exchange-oriented exhibition model, the event aims to stimulate debate on issues of the present while enhancing regional specificities. The Taipei Fine Arts Museum, founded in 1983 as Taiwan’s first museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art, continues to be one of the country’s major cultural landmarks. In addition to hosting the Taipei Biennial since 1998, the museum has participated in the Venice Biennale since 1995 and plays a central role in the preservation, research and promotion of Taiwan’s modern and contemporary art, while maintaining a constant eye toward developments in the international art scene. Further details regarding the Taipei Biennial 2027 will be announced in the coming months by the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
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| Cecilia Alemani will curate the 15th Taipei Biennale in 2027 |
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