From Havana to Paris, Prague to Mexico, and across the Swiss Alps, dive into the international journey of phenomenal creative initiatives carefully selected by our invitees. To continue sparking a desire to explore more and more, we asked five female curators and art entrepreneurs to share their predictions for the most exciting events and artists to watch this year.
Where is the art legitimised by institutions and centres of power going? Gerardo Mosquera, a curator and Cuban art critic, argues in his piece published in Art Nexus in June 2024 that asking “where is art going” today requires first considering the approach stated in the question above. While it is true that contemporary art is increasingly distancing itself from the post-war modern discourses that sought intergenerational stylistic representations – such as the succession of artistic “isms” in the second half of the 20th century. The 21st century, however, introduces new aesthetic problems that arise not from opposition to modernity (as was the case from the 1960s onward) but from the interweaving of artistic practices and discourses shaped by globalisation and fierce market capitalism. In response to the survival tactics demanded by the new century – amidst wars, armed conflicts, the return of the extreme right and neo-fascist tendencies, the ecological crisis and a host of other circumstances– what we understand as contemporary art turns to micro-narratives, subalternities, and marginalised discourses. These encompass artistic practices that position themselves at the margin of, or beyond, the Eurocentric gaze and the North/South dynamic.
This shift is evidenced, for example, by the growing success of African art and the expansion of fairs and biennials in the region, the emergence of biennials and art festivals in the Middle East, and the increasingly marked internationalisation of Latin American and Asian art within and beyond their continents, accompanied by the continuous creation of museums, private foundations, and biennials.
Here are five incredible female curators and art entrepreneurs discussing what and who to keep an eye on in the art world in 2025.
Dayneris Brito
In pursuit of those micro-narratives that I believe will continue shaping 2025–if we speak from a decentralised perspective–I recommend two Afro-descendant female artists. The first is Cuban-Ecuadorian artist Sofía Salazar Rosales (b. 1999), currently living between Amsterdam and Paris. At only 25 years old, Sofía was among the invited artists in the most recent, 17th edition of the Biennale de Lyon: Crossing the water. This year, on March 15th, she will open her first museum exhibition in Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, Switzerland, titled Imagine living in Switzerland and missing this. For the occasion, she once again engages in dialogue with the poetry of industrial objects, through which she critiques industrial colonisation. She brilliantly exceeds societal expectations for such a young, female, and migrant artist. As such, Sofía is, in my opinion, a resounding creator whose practice must be followed with a keen eye. Her career promises a rapid and influential ascent, offering insight into several key challenges in the legitimisation of contemporary art: decentralisation, the representation of women and minorities, and the narration of decolonial histories.
My second choice, also influenced by my own origins, is Cuban artist Gabriela Pez (b. 1994), who will also inaugurate her first solo exhibition on March 15th in Paris at LAC (Loukoums & Art Contemporain–Collection Jean-Michel Attal), a brand new art centre dedicated to housing the contemporary art collection of notary Jean-Michel Attal and energising the emerging art scene in the French capital. After being the first laureate of the Fundación Bernard Grau–Académie des beaux-arts in 2023, Gabriela returns to Paris to put into practice years of self-taught learning and exploration with paper – often crafted by the artist herself. Her work once again seeks to understand her Afro-descendant roots and reclaim the Black past through figurative representation, watercolour and drawing. In searching for herself, Gabriela reveals new subjectivities that have, until now, remained unrepresented, potentially opening new areas of research for artistic agents. We will have to wait then, quietly and attentively, to see where the artistic paths of both artists lead. I have already placed my bet.
About the interviewee: Dayneris Brito is an art historian, art writer, and curator at the Brownstone Foundation in Paris (Association NOEMI). Her curatorial practice focuses on the artistic intersection between Latin America – Cuba, in particular – and Europe, exploring the aesthetic discourses related to issues like migration and displacement. She was part of the founding team of the art and literature magazine El Oficio, and worked as project coordinator of Cuban artist Wilfredo Prieto’s Estudio Taller Chullima. She has collaborated with institutions such as the Consejo Nacional de las Artes Plásticas (Cuba), the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA), the Galleria Continua (Havana), and the MNBA: Museu Nacional de Bellas Artes (Brazil). Once in Europe, she has collaborated with the 57th Venice Biennale (2019), the Fondazione Morra Greco (Naples, Italy), the Museo Universidad de Navarra, the Department of Art and Politics at the Universidad de Murcia, the Department of Fine Arts at the Universidad de Elche, Galleria Continua, Cité International des Arts, and POUSH.
Kathy Alliou
I would like to take you to Paris – but away from the mainstream venues and off the beaten path – for two exhibitions I am curating this year. The first is the Paris solo show of Chicago-based Danish artist Lise Haller Baggesen at Le Bicolore, on Les Champs-Elysées. It is a place where no one expects to see art, yet it’s essential to support both artists and venues trying to carve out a space of their own in the jungle of luxury boutiques. Lise and I have maintained a regular and fruitful correspondence since we met in 2017. We had many studio visits over the years, which nourished our relationship and understanding of each other’s work. I curated her first solo exhibition in France in 2022 at the legendary Confort Moderne in Poitiers. I joined, along with my doggo, one of the portraits within this exhibition. For me, this show is deeply personal. Beyond the professional relation between artist and curator, Lise and I share a friendship and a love for each other’s practice – something I believe you can feel somewhat reflected within the space. While the etymology of curator is rooted in care, I believe friendship is an equally fundamental component of the relationship between curator and artist. We should value this approach in the art world more since we are all here because of our love for art and ideas. We should also embrace that love within human interactions.
The title of the show is ChromAmour: a metamorphosis. ChromAmour indicates that our collective chromophobia is over. We’re sick of being sick, we’re tired of being tired, and we’re skin-hungry for the human touch of the brushstroke. We’re ready for the colour to return to our cheeks and streets. ChromAmur presents as a landscape inhabited by chrysalis-like forms, interweaving debutante dresses in brilliant hues and a multiplicity of shapes, with pop slogans and song lyrics inscribed in vibrant paintings. It embodies possible ways of welcoming the worlds to come. It also resonates with bell hooks’ idea from All About Love that “awakening to love can happen only as we let go of our obsession with power and domination”.
Lise Haller Baggesen’s work will be featured at a show at Centraal Museum Utrecht in the Netherlands in February, as part of Good Mom/Bad Mom: Unraveling the Mother Myth – a major survey on art and motherhood. The exhibition breaks away from the cliché of the ‘good mother’ myth, presenting perspectives that have long been invisible.
An artist that I am particularly excited to observe this upcoming year is French artist Éléonore False. I have been collaborating with Éléonore for the past 10 years, and she has recently published a monograph, Ensembles, which includes an interview we conducted together. Books serve as the starting point for the majority of Éléonore’s works – they are where she forages for images and compositions. I have also curated two of her solo shows. In 2025, she is embarking on a sort of Grand Tour, with a series of exhibitions across France: from NMNM Agora: la place du Musée in Monaco (January 24 – May 4) to FRAC Sud Le fil de chaîne in Marseille (February 15 – August 31), followed by a show in Centre de la Création Contemporaine Olivier Debré in Tours, opening in early 2026. I am very much looking forward to seeing Éléonore’s creations and exhibitions this year!
About the interviewee: Kathy Alliou is a Paris-based curator, entrepreneur, the artistic director of AsiaNow since 2023, and the head of the Œuvres des Beaux-Arts de Paris department of Le Bicolore since 2013. Alliou coordinates, designs, and contributes to exhibition programmes and the promotion of the institution’s Musée de France collection. Her artistic projects span curating exhibitions, research residencies, and initiatives centred on the spoken word, the performative potential of the body, and the transmission and circulation of thought – international colloquia, seminars, conferences, and performance programmes. As the artistic director of AsiaNow, Alliou aims to curate experiences that embrace multicultural and multisensory experiences at the fair held at Monnaie de Paris. Within the historical and traditionally structured setting of the Monnaie, Alliou hosts workshops, performances, creative encounters, and culinary experiences, seeking to foster a sense of community during the fast-paced reality of art fairs. Her initiatives bring rituals and ceremonies to the global village Paris proudly represents. She dreams of free, hospitable, and vibrant art experiences, and the projects she mentions do stand for that.
Barbora Půlpánová
If you’re looking for a unique artistic experience in 2025, don’t miss Cyberlemon, the latest exhibition by acclaimed Czech painter Hynek Martinec. This exhibition, held at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague from March 28 to August 24, combines contemporary art, digital technology, and mythology in a striking and thought-provoking way. Having lived in London for over 17 years, Martinec is internationally renowned for his meticulous technique – inspired by the Old Masters and photography – which he skillfully merges with modern themes. His earlier works, including hyperrealistic portraits and explorations of time, memory, and identity, have earned him prestigious accolades and widespread acclaim. With Cyberlemon, Martinec reimagines the lemon as an ironic symbol of neutrality and absurdity in today’s polarised world, marking a new chapter in his artistic evolution. The exhibition features his largest mural to date, created specifically for this occasion, alongside other works that invite viewers to reflect on the impact of technology on our lives.
I would also like to introduce you to Rita Koszorús, a nomadic artist whose work explores the Anthropocene era through themes of memory and time, constantly searching for the essence of home. Her pieces form intricate systems of personal, surreal, and symbol-laden experiences and recollections. Her abstract paintings – interwoven with figural moments and symbols – evoke a sense of nostalgic and romantic contemplation, shaped by her Eastern European roots and the complexities of her Slovak-Hungarian identity. She frequently depicts utopian abstract spaces, fragments, and atmospheres tied to an imaginary home – undefined and distant. Both as a technique and a philosophy, collage best encapsulates her creative approach, though she also works with painting, installation, and video. Rita Koszorús will present her work this June at the Kvalitář Gallery in Prague. Don’t miss the chance to immerse yourself in her distinctive artistic world.
About the interviewee: Barbora Půlpánová is a Czech art entrepreneur and curator, currently leading EduArt Experience, an art advisory agency. She gained vast art world experience working at Christie’s auction house in London, where she both developed expertise and built a broad network of international contacts. As Global Press and Communications Officer at Christie’s Education, she worked across London, New York, and Hong Kong. She also played a key role in launching and running Christie’s Young Collectors Club. Barbora holds the globally recognised Art Business Certificate.
Charlotte Sarrazin
Louisa Gagliardi’s exhibition at MASI Lugano – her first solo exhibition in a Swiss institution would be my first highlight of this year. The exhibition will present a new body of work, including paintings and sculptures, with the most exciting element being a site-specific presentation designed for the LAC’s (Lugano Arte et Cultura) lower ground floor. Without imposing a singular narrative, the Zurich-based artist brings intelligence, ingenuity, and humour to the table, inviting us to engage with our own imaginations. Through her unmistakable signature style, Louisa Gagliardi creates captivating works of art imbued with lyrical expression, offering poignant reflections on the complexities of contemporary existence. With almost uncanny precision, she captures the troubled spirit of our time and translates it into evocative visual settings.
My second recommendation this year would be the Fondation Beyeler comprehensive solo exhibition dedicated to Vija Celmins (b. 1938), an artist who masterfully works in painting, drawing, and sculpture. Celmins’ visual language is both subtle and powerful. Initially, she focused on everyday objects as well as scenes of disaster and war. She later turned to the surface structures of spider webs, oceans, and deserts, and, more recently, to the night sky and galaxies. Her images resist the cursory gaze, yet they deploy a fascinating beauty between intimacy and distance once we engage with them. The exhibition will display a selection of Celmins’ works spanning from the 1960s to the present, bringing to life the mesmerising effect of her pictorial worlds. It will also feature a small selection of sculptures, which Celmins qualifies as “three-dimensional paintings”. Finally, a new group of works will highlight her long-standing and intense engagement with surfaces and spatial depth. This exhibition will be the most significant presentation of Celmins’ work in Europe in almost 20 years.
About the interviewee: Charlotte Sarrazin is a curator of contemporary art based in Basel. She has been working for the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen/Basel since 2019, contributing to exhibitions such as Jeff Wall (2024) and Yayoi Kusama (2025). Previously, she served as an artist liaison at the Berlin gallery Sprüth Magers, where she worked with artists including Jenny Holzer and Astrid Klein, as well as the estates of Hanne Darboven and Otto Piene. She was also a curatorial assistant at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart in Berlin. Sarrazin studied art history and curatorial studies in Constance, Prague, and Zurich. In her curatorial role, she oversees various projects, including the artist residency Casa Tuena in Val Poschiavo, Switzerland. She also regularly writes texts on current exhibitions and artists.
Sam Ozer
This year, I am thrilled for the third edition of the TONO Festival, which will take place from March 25th to April 6th across museums in Mexico City and Puebla, Mexico. During the festival, we will host performances by Jota Mombaça, Bárbara Sánchez-Kane, Eartheater, and Phasmahammer, as well as video installations by Korakrit Arunanondchai, Luiz Roque, Saodat Ismailova, Paloma Contreras Lomas, Carolina Fusilier, and Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, which will all extend beyond the festival dates. The projects with Jota and Bárbara will travel to Wiels and Mudam in the spring, so I am excited to see them change and reach more people. Additional programming includes a screening series in collaboration with MoMA curator Sophie Cavoulacos, featuring works from the collection, as well as a programme with Valentin Noujaïm.
I’m also looking forward to following the paths of TONO 2024 artist Ali Cherri [editor’s note: read more about Ali Cherri’s exhibition at the Succession in our article by Niccolò Lucarelli] and TONO 2023 artist Arthur Jafa, both of whom have exhibitions opening at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris in March. Other highlights I’m looking forward to seeing include Matt Copson’s survey at KW in Berlin, the São Paulo Biennale curated by Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, and artist Korakrit Arunanondchai’s video and performance Ghost at the Triennale in Bangkok this November.
About the interviewee: Sam Ozer is a curator, producer, and writer. She is the founder and artistic director of TONO, a non-profit arts organisation dedicated to time-based artwork, with an annual arts festival spanning museums in Mexico City and Puebla. TONO has collaborated with institutions such as the Serpentine Galleries (London), the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul), the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne), the Pérez Art Museum (Miami), and the Venice Biennale, among others.
