Catherine Nichols Appointed Curator of the 18th Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art in 2026

Courtesy: Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art

18th Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art
Title to be announced
September – December, 2026
Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art

The Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art has announced that Catherine Nichols, Berlin-based Australian curator, writer, and art historian, will curate its 18th edition, set to take place from September to December 2026. Nichols, known for her transdisciplinary approach and deep engagement with the intersections of history, environment, and storytelling, brings a unique vision to one of Europe’s most renowned biennials.

The decision was made by Isabelle Bertolotti, Artistic Director of the Lyon Biennale, highlighting Nichols’ ability to foster meaningful dialogues between cultures through her curatorial approach. Bertolotti particularly noted Nichols’ curatorial choices for Manifesta 14 in Prishtina, Kosovo (2022), where she explored the transformative power of storytelling across 25 sites in the Kosovarian capital, emphasizing history, public space, and collective narratives.

Nichols’ curatorial practice consistently examines art’s role in social, political, and environmental discourse. She has held key roles in major institutional projects, including:

• Manifesta 14 Prishtina (2022) – it matters what worlds world worlds: how to tell stories otherwise, a city-wide exploration of how stories shape realities.
• Beuys 2021: 100 Jahre Joseph Beuys – A critical reevaluation of Beuys’ artistic and political legacy at K20 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf.
• The End of the 20th Century: The Best Is Yet to Come (2013) – A major exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Berlin.

In addition to her curatorial work, Nichols has an extensive background in publishing and academic research, having co-authored key publications such as Otherwise (2022) and Black Mountain College: An Interdisciplinary Experiment (2015).

Founded in 1991, the Lyon Biennale has established itself as a major force in the contemporary art scene, known for its ambitious, concept-driven exhibitions. The 2024 edition attracted nearly 2.7 million people to its public artworks, affirming its status as one of France’s most significant cultural events.

Nichols shared her enthusiasm for taking on this new role:

“The Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Ar t has long been an ambitious space for artistic enquiry and political imagination, a site where art engages with the world, indeed with the planet, in all its complexity. I am immensely honoured to be invited to curate the 18th edition of the Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art, to build upon its rich legacy while embracing new forms of artistic and intellectual exploration.
As I immerse myself in Lyon and the artistic, cultural, scientific and economic dialogues that shape its layered geography, I am ever more inspired by the opportunity to bring new voices, ideas and practices into the conversation. I am profoundly grateful to the Biennale for inviting me to join the team in dreaming up a new Biennale edition, one that is at once situated and connected, audacious yet responsive, and, above all, attuned to the urgencies and possibilities of the present.”

Her vision for the 2026 edition promises a curatorial approach that is both deeply contextual and globally resonant, continuing the biennale’s tradition of challenging assumptions, fostering artistic experimentation, and engaging with urgent contemporary issues.

As one of the world’s leading contemporary art biennials and a key member of the International Biennial Association (IBA), the Lyon Biennale’s appointment of Nichols signals an exciting new chapter in its history.

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