10 art biennales to visit in 2025. Must-see art events around the world.

Travel to the UK, Denmark, Germany, India, or the Emirates to explore the rich tapestry of international art biennales. Discover local culture while participating in vibrant artistic events. The world is your art oyster, as some would say. This year is filled with large-scale international contemporary art exhibitions held worldwide. Here’s a carefully selected collection of ten biennales for you to explore. 

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennal 

15 November 2024 – 30 April 2025

This year marks the first edition of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennale (PAAD), which aims to explore the ever-evolving concept of public space by looking at four factors – environment, community, urbanity, and indigeneity. Public space is full of complexities and interconnections. Environmental conditions have an undeniable influence on gathering spaces. Similarly, public space is also the meeting point of modern development and indigenous practices. Biennal addresses the exploration of those phenomena and the challenge of preserving tradition while leaving space for growth and diversification. PAAD  takes place in downtown Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. It features various city landmarks, such as the Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal – an architectural staple playing a vital role as a community hub. The event invites artists and the audience to delve deeper into the meaning behind the cultural significance of public spaces. 

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Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art

14 June – 14 September 2025

This summer, one of the most important international events dedicated to contemporary art returns. For the 13th time, the Berlin Biennale will bring together influential figures from the global art scene and create an appealing experience for local and international audiences. Since its establishment in 1996, this biannual event has gained the reputation of an open and inclusive space, emphasising an experimental and innovative approach to artistic practice. It showcases works of established talents while allowing young artists to reach a wider audience. This year’s edition is curated by Zasha Colah. 

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London Art Biennale 

16 – 20 July 2025 

In July, the London Biennale opens its 7th edition. Over four days, the Chelsea Old Town Hall will present 300 talents from 60 nations. London Biennale is an inspiring event, which gives a unique opportunity to build meaningful connections and to become immersed in art. Maintaining a perfect balance between diversity and coherence, the Biennale goes beyond mere presentation of the artworks as it also provides insight into the creative process and stories behind them. The historical venue contrasts with the contemporary content of the exhibitions, which perfectly illustrates the interplay between tradition and innovation characteristic of the event. London Biennale distinguishes itself as an accessible, inclusive event that promotes cultural diversity and artistic excellence. 

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Venice Architecture Biennale 

10 May – 23 November 2025 

The 19th edition of the Biennale Architettura – Venice Architecture Biennale will start in May. The curator, architect, and engineer Carlo Ratti decided on Intelligence as the event’s theme, referring both to the modern term intelligence and a wider array of associated meanings. The upcoming Biennale takes an interdisciplinary approach to the built environment. While it focuses on architecture, it also includes other disciplines and fields such as art, engineering, biology, data science, social and political sciences, and planetary systems sciences (to account for the complexity of urban space). It also reserves space for reflections on the degrading effect of architecture on the environment. The exhibition will suggest a path of intelligent, adaptable solutions to this issue. The four pillars of the event are transdisciplinarity, living lab, space for ideas, and circularity protocol. 

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Kunsthal Charlottenborg Biennale 

10 June 2025 – 10th August 2025 

Kunsthal Charlottenborg Biennale is a biannual exhibition held in public spaces. This year’s edition title, Future Ours, refers to the future of our planet. It will present the works of 21 artists and collectives from around the world in the courtyard of Kunsthal Charlottenborg. From June 30th, the exhibition will go beyond its venue and spread across Danish train stations and bus stops, allowing it to fulfil its aim to make contemporary art accessible to a wider audience and use it as a tool for critical world-building. The exhibition is curated by Patricia Dominguez, Jeppe Ugelvig, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, and it was previously featured in New York during the Summit of the Future held in collaboration with the UN General Assembly in September 2024. 

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Transmediale 

29 January – 2 February 2025

Transmediale is an annual, Berlin-based festival that explores experimental approaches in art and digital culture. The 38th edition will take place between January and February this year, at its usual venue – Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW). Transmediale’s diverse programme includes lectures, conversations, screenings, and performances. This year’s theme (near) near but – far reflects on the digital systems and algorithms, especially the way they influence relationships, creating opportunities for closeness that are at the same time intimate and artificial. It does not aim to criticise the new reality but rather reflects on how machine-driven actions and new technologies can help us to foster relations that are adapted to the challenges of modern reality. This edition of Transmediale is curated by Ben Evans James and Elise Misao Hunchuck. 

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Sharjah Biennal

6 February – 15 June 2025

The 16th edition of the Sharjah Biennal has an open-ended title to carry. It refers to the uncertainty we all share in spaces that are never truly our own. During the event, artists will explore subjects such as – what do we carry when it is time to travel, flee, or move on. What are the passages that we form as we migrate between territories and across time? What do we carry when we remain? What do we carry when we survive? The curators apply diverse methodologies, such as residences, workshops, collective productions, and sonic experiences, to create an unforgettable experience and encourage dialogue. This year’s edition features works by more than 190 participants, including over 200 new commissions, which will be presented across the Emirate of Sharjah.

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RCA Research Biennale 2025

21st February – 27 February 2025

Every two years, The Royal College of Art (RCA), the world’s leading art and design university, holds the Research Biennale. This event showcases the interdisciplinary works of the next generation of researchers. It is an amazing opportunity to connect research with external audiences, bridging the gap between academia and society. During six days, works of award-winning visual artists and researchers will be presented. For instance, Marisa Ferreira invites the audience to reflect on the relationship between waste and spatial justice. Federico Clavarino’s project Photography & Entrapment offers a new perspective on photography. While Samantha Rebello’s paintings investigate the relationships between violence, knowledge and power. 

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Chennai Photo Biennale 

20 December 2024 – 16 March 2025 

The 4th edition’s theme of the Chennai Photo Biennale is inspired by Dayanita Singh’s exploration of the relationship with photography – why to photograph? It reflects on the purpose, role, and relevance of contemporary photographers in the era of overproduction of pictures. Over 90 days, the Biennale will present over 20 exhibitions and several other events. Composed of three phases, each hosted across various public spaces in the city, the Chennai Photo Biennale is currently in its second phase. The audience can visit among others the Sunil Gupta Retrospective Love and Light, What Makes Me Click!, a photography project by children, or Alt: Alanalog, an exhibition showcasing the effects of a Darkroom Residency. The last phase of the Biennale will open on February 14th, inviting the audience to explore exhibitions such as The Unseen Archive: Celebrating Lakshmikantan – Five decades on sets of Tamil Cinema or Hey!, an exhibition featuring artists with disabilities and neurodivergence. 

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Liverpool Biennial

7 June – 14 September 2025

The theme of the upcoming edition of the UK’s largest free festival of contemporary art, Liverpool Biennial, is BEDROCK. It draws on Liverpool’s distinctive geography and the beliefs that underpin the city’s social foundations. In literal interpretation, Liverpool’s bedrock is the sandstone that spans the city region and has permeated the local architecture. However, people, places, and values can also be seen as the (metaphorical) bedrock of the city. The dynamic programme will unfold over the course of 14 weeks. Exhibitions, performances, screenings, community, and learning activities will take place in various locations across the city, adding to its vibrant cultural scene.