Cecilia Alemani appointed Curator of the 15th Taipei Biennial

Widely recognized for her visionary exhibitions that bring together contemporary art, public engagement, and transnational perspectives, Alemani will lead the next edition of one of Asia’s most influential biennials, opening in 2027 at Taipei Fine Arts Museum.

Organized by TFAM since 1998, the Taipei Biennial has established itself as a vital platform for contemporary artistic discourse, fostering critical dialogue between Taiwan and the international art community. Through its long-standing commitment to experimentation and intellectual exchange, the biennial has consistently addressed urgent social, political, ecological, and technological questions shaping contemporary life.

Cecilia Alemani’s appointment reflects TFAM’s ongoing commitment to engaging curatorial voices whose practices challenge conventional exhibition-making while opening new possibilities for global conversation. Across more than two decades, Alemani has developed a distinctive curatorial practice centered on ambitious artistic commissions, interdisciplinary thinking, and expanded understandings of public space and collective imagination.

“Cecilia Alemani is among the most compelling curatorial voices of our time,” said TFAM. “Her exhibitions consistently demonstrate a remarkable ability to connect historical inquiry with contemporary urgencies while remaining deeply attentive to artists and audiences alike. 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.”

Throughout her career, Alemani has demonstrated a sustained interest in foregrounding historically marginalized voices, particularly women artists and underrepresented artistic practices. Her curatorial projects often move fluidly across historical and contemporary perspectives, constructing dialogues that challenge dominant narratives while proposing alternative ways of understanding culture, memory, identity, and imagination.

Alemani is currently based in New York, where she has served since 2011 as Donald R. Mullen, Jr. Director & Chief Curator of High Line Art, the public art program presented by the High Line. During her tenure, she has commissioned and organized major projects by internationally renowned artists including 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, among many others. Her work at the High Line has expanded the role of public art as a space for civic engagement, experimentation, and dialogue.

Alemani gained global recognition as Artistic Director of the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, where she curated The Milk of Dreams, an exhibition inspired by the writings of Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington. Bringing together 213 artists from 58 countries, the exhibition explored transformations of the body, relationships between individuals and technology, and connections between human beings and the earth. Widely praised for its intellectual depth and emotional resonance, The Milk of Dreams attracted more than 800,000 visitors and became one of the most celebrated editions in the history of the Venice Biennale.

In addition to directing the Venice Biennale, Alemani served as Artistic Director of the inaugural Art Basel Cities: Buenos Aires in 2018 and curated the Italian Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017. She has also curated Frieze Projects in New York, organized exhibitions internationally across museums and nonprofit institutions, and contributed extensively to contemporary art criticism and publishing.

Responding to her appointment, Alemani stated: “It is a profound privilege to be entrusted with the next edition of the Taipei Biennial, an exhibition with a remarkable history of shaping contemporary art discourse. Embarking on my first curatorial project in Asia, I feel both excited and humbled by this opportunity. In our current global climate, platforms like the Taipei Biennial carry an even greater urgency. They are vital spaces for creative expression and cultural resilience: they remind us of the power of art to foster dialogue and discussion at a critical historical crossroads. The Taipei Fine Arts Museum has long been a vital bridge between regional narratives and global perspectives, and I am eager to collaborate with the artistic community here to create an exhibition that resonates deeply across borders.”

Main Image: Cecilia Alemani, Photo by Liz Ligon. Courtesy The High Line, New York