IBA Newsletter: October 2026

Dear Subscriber,

Welcome to our October newsletter! Those of us at the IBA Office are pleased to bring you updates and announcements regarding our upcoming events, digital sessions, and strategic regional gatherings.

Please take a moment to explore these updates and keep track of upcoming biennial opening dates across our global network.

IBA Academy

Be sure to tune in this month to our newest module of IBA Academy with a focus on education, pedagogy, and outreach as crucial structural dimensions of contemporary biennials.

Details about this event will be published on our website and social media outlets in the near future.

IBA Regional Meetings

For those came to Avilés for our 2nd Regional Meeting for Europe, it was wonderful to connect! Thank you for attending and we hope to see you at our next event.

Biennials based in the Americas and Asia are invited to join us at our upcoming Regional Meetings, each of which will be the first in their respective territories.

• Guatemala City, Guatemala: 15-19 November 2026
• Lahore, Pakistan: 27-31 March 2027

Regional Meetings create dedicated spaces for members to reflect on the specific contexts shared with their closest peers, discuss common challenges, and build stronger bonds to collaborate and support each other’s practices. They are also offer invaluable opportunities to engage with local communities and learn from the distinct experiences that shape biennial practices around the world.

IBA 14th General Assembly

The IBA 14th General Assembly will take place in Lahore, Pakistan from 27-31 March 2027 during the inaugural days of the 4th Lahore Biennale. This assembly will also coincide with the Regional Meeting for Asia, the first to take place in South Asia with the goal to place emphasis on topics impacting biennials across Asia and Indian Ocean Littoral.

Share Your Biennial

If you have a biennial scheduled for this year that has not been listed below, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us via email at info@biennialassociation.org to be included in our future newsletters.

For more news, you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

 

IBA EVENTS

 

ONGOING MEMBER BIENNIALS
The following biennials are currently open.

Biennale of Contemporary Keramics 2026
Greece
Now through October 31, 2026

4th International Triennial of Graphic Arts in Livno
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Now through November 1, 2026

Contour 11
Belgium
Now through November 1, 2026

16th Gwangju Biennale
South Korea
Now through November 15, 2026

Counterpublic 2026
United States
Now through December 12, 2026

18th Biennale de Lyon
France
Now through December 13, 2026

Toronto Biennial of Art 2026
Canada
Now through December 20, 2026

59th Carnegie International
United States
Now through January 3, 2027

Southern Survey Biennial III
United States
Now through February 14, 2027

 

UPCOMING MEMBER BIENNIALS
The member biennials listed below will open in the foreseeable future.

12th Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial
United Arab Emirates
October 7, 2026 – November 15, 2026

10th Çanakkale Biennial
Turkey
October 10, 2026 – November 20, 2026

Lubumbashi Biennale 2026
Democratic Republic of the Congo
October 15, 2026 – November 15, 2026

16th Dakar Biennale
Senegal
November 19, 2026 – December 19, 2026

Karachi Biennale (KB27)
Pakistan
January 16, 2027 – January 31, 2027

Sharjah Biennial 17
United Arab Emirates
January 21, 2027 – June 13, 2027

City and Science Biennial 2027 (Barcelona & Madrid)
Spain
February 23, 2027 – February 28, 2027

Lahore Biennale 04
Pakistan
March 27, 2027 – April 25, 2027

9th Yokohama Triennale
Japan
April 23, 2027 – September 12, 2027

Bruges Triennial 2027
Belgium
April 27, 2027 – September 5, 2027

Art Encounters Biennial 2027
Romania
May 21, 2027 – June 4, 2027

2027 Lofoten International Art Festival
Norway
May 28, 2027 – June 27, 2027

14th Berlin Biennale
Germany
June 4, 2027 – September 12, 2027

37th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts 2027
Slovenia
June 4, 2027 – October 17, 2027

Liverpool Biennial 2027
England
June 5, 2027 – September 12, 2027

Helsinki Biennial 2027
Finland
June 6, 2027 – September 19, 2027

13th SITE SANTA FE International Biennial
United States
June 11, 2027 – January 17, 2028

documenta 16
Germany
June 12, 2027 – September 19, 2027

6th Autostrada Biennale
Kosovo
July 11, 2027 – September 11, 2027

12th Ballarat International Foto Biennale
Australia
August 21, 2027 – October 17, 2027

14th Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art
Sweden
September 4, 2027

19th Istanbul Biennial
Turkey
September 18, 2027 – November 14, 2027

37th Bienal de São Paulo
Brazil
September 2027

XVI Florence Biennale
Italy
October 23, 2027 – October 31, 2027

16th Havana Biennial
Cuba
November 15, 2027 – February 28, 2028

26th Biennale of Sydney
Australia
March 11, 2028

 

NON-MEMBER BIENNIALS
Explore other biennials from around the world below.

Sonsbeek 2026
Netherlands
Now through October 11, 2026

Bucharest Biennale 12
Romania
Now through October 18, 2026

20th Buenos Aires Architecture Biennial
Buenos Aires
Now through October 2026

Pattani Biennale 2026
Thailand
Now through November 1, 2026

FORT biennale_02
Italy
Now through November 8, 2026

16th Bienal de Curitiba
Brazil
Now through November 15, 2026

Busan Biennale 2026
South Korea
Now through November 15, 2026

61st Venice Biennale
Italy
Now through November 22, 2026

Contextile 2026
Portugal
Now through November 29, 2026

2026 Border Biennial / Bienal Fronteriza 2026
United States
Now through February 14, 2027

Shenzhen Art and Technology Biennale
China
Now through April 30, 2027

27th Biennale d’Alexandre
Egypt
September 18, 2026

Melbourne Sculpture Biennale 2026
Australia
October 8, 2026 – October 25, 2026

Walker Design Triennial: Beyond Materialism
United States
October 17, 2026 – February 14, 2027

Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial 2026
United Arab Emirates
October 23, 2026 – February 15, 2027

Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement 2026
Switzerland
October 24, 2026 – November 22, 2026

BAB2026 (Bangkok Art Biennale)
Thailand
October 29, 2026 – February 28, 2027

AURORA Biennial 2026
United States
November 4, 2026 – November 21, 2026

Lagos Biennial 2026
Nigeria
November 14, 2026 – December 6, 2026

15th Edition of the Bamako Encounters
Mali
November 26, 2026 – January 26, 2027

Bienal de Yucatán 2026
Mexico
November 26, 2026 – February 28, 2027

CII Banaras Biennale 2026
India
November 27, 2026 – December 31, 2026

Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2026
United Arab Emirates
November 2026 – March 2027

Luleåbiennalen 2027
Sweden
March 5, 2027 – May 22, 2027

Boso Triennale 2027
Japan
March 6, 2027 – May 30, 2027

SACO1.3 Biennial of Contemporary Art
Chile
June 24, 2027 – September 14, 2027

 

MEMBER NEWS

Do you have exciting news or upcoming events that you would like to share?

To get your news in the monthly newsletter, please submit it to the IBA Office via email no later than the 20th of each month, with the subject line “Next Newsletter”, for it to appear in the next newsletter. To post your news on our website, either log in to the Interactive Space and create your own post, or send us an email and we’ll take care of it.

 

BECOME AN IBA MEMBER TODAY!

The International Biennial Association (IBA) provides a platform for establishing, researching and exchanging ideas and knowledge between professionals and institutions concerned with contemporary art that play pivotal roles in the biennial practice and its discourse.

While engagement with professionals in the global biennial community is the primary membership benefit, other benefits include invitations to all IBA events and conferences, copies of all publications as well as a membership card, which grants access to member biennials and triennials participating in our Free Admission Program.

To support our mission, become a member or make a donation today.

 

From all of us at IBA,
Have a great month!