Application Deadline: 11 September 2022

British Council is looking for applications by five early to mid-career visual arts curators from the UK and five early to mid-career visual arts curators from Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa or Zimbabwe whose practices are collaborative and draw from personal experience or interpretation of identity, gender, and race politics. Together, they will travel to the Venice Biennale for an enriching programme of activities and events in celebration of the historic number of black and African women artists and countries participating in this year’s Biennale for the first time such as Cameroon, Namibia and Uganda.

They will explore the work of artists such as Golden Lion for Best National Participation winner Sonia Boyce, Alberta Whittle and Zineb Sedira, Golden Lion for Best Participant winner Simone Leigh, Acaye Kerunen and Na Chainkua Reindorf. The delegation will create opportunities to find synergies between curatorial practices in Sub-Saharan Africa and the UK around shared issues presented by these themes and made more visible in this year’s Biennale.

This delegation is part of the British Council Visual Arts Biennials Connect programme. The programme promotes cross-cultural and cross-border exchange and collaboration by providing opportunities for curators to connect, collaborate and build meaningful partnerships with colleagues across the globe and to nurture future engagement with British Council arts programmes and partners.

Requirements

The delegation is for early to mid-career visual arts curators whose practices are collaborative and draw from personal experience or interpretation of identity, gender, and race politics.

If you are early career, you will have at least one of the following:

• A relevant degree or relevant experience (instead of formal education) working in the arts sector either within an arts organisation or independently
• Experience working with artists on a commission, production, or programme as part of a wider exhibition or festival
• Contributed to an exhibition, public programme or arts publication through research or organisation and administrative support

If you are mid-career, you will have at least one of the following:

• Worked as a visual arts curator either within an arts organisation or independently
• Led on the curation of at least one high-profile exhibition that has received significant press coverage
• Undertook research/critical study on one of the themes of the delegation either for exhibition development or publication

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants do not have to hold a relevant degree or have had formal education, but they must:

• Be over 18 years old to apply
• Be based in the UK, but do not need to be a national of the UK OR
• Be based in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, or Zimbabwe but do not need to be a national of these countries
• Not be in full or part-time formal education
• Be an early to mid-career curator as defined using the above definitions under “Who Can Apply”
• The programme will be delivered in English
• This programme is not for artists
• We will prioritise applications made by those who have not received support from British Council in the last two years

Benefits
The delegation is fully funded and includes:

• A programme of networking, events and Pavilion visits
• Travel to and from airport
• Accommodation
• A daily stipend of £50 for meals/local travel
• Access budget to support atypical childcare needs, D/deaf, disabled or neurodivergent delegate needs

Timeline:

How to Apply:

Applicants are expected to provide the following:

• Curriculum Vitae (No more than 2 A4 pages)
• A signed letter of support by someone you have worked with, or for professionally, but NOT a family member or friend (No longer than 1 A4 page)

If you have any questions, please contact: visual.arts@britishcouncil.org with the email subject heading: SSA UK Venice Delegation Open Call Question

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the British Council Venice Biennale Delegation 2022