Venice Biennale 2028 Expressions of Interest

About the opportunity

Expressions of Interest (EOI) are now open for artistic proposals for the Australia Pavilion in the category of National Participation for the 62nd International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale 2028).

Creative Australia invites proposals from artists at the forefront of Australian contemporary art practice to develop ambitious new work for the Australia Pavilion. This is a unique opportunity to realise a major new work that showcases Australian contemporary art practice with international audiences in the context of the Venice Biennale. The selected project will be presented as an exhibition at the Australia Pavilion from May to November 2028.

The selection process has two stages. Following the Stage One assessment, Creative Australia will invite up to five shortlisted applicants to develop their proposals further in Stage Two. Each shortlisted Stage Two application will receive $5,500 to develop and expand its Stage One proposal, in line with the additional Stage Two requirements as outlined below.

Creative Australia commissions and produces the exhibition in the Australia Pavilion. As one of the most prestigious and enduring international platforms for contemporary art, the Venice Biennale provides exceptional visibility for Australian artists and curators, and fosters international dialogue, professional exchange and access to new audiences.

The successful Artistic Team will work in close collaboration with the Creative Australia project team from concept development through to production, public presentation and promotion, and deinstallation of the work at the Venice Biennale. 

Our commitment to you 

Creative Australia is committed to a selection process that is transparent, fair and robust informed by specialist external governance advice.

For Venice Biennale 2028, we have strengthened the commissioning process by providing the following:

• greater clarity about the information required from applicants at each stage
• clearly defined roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for the assessment and governance processes
• stronger internal communication to support confident and informed decision making. 

Who we are looking for

We are looking for a compelling and concise exhibition concept that is reflective of Australian contemporary art practice and relevant to current international contexts, including the setting of the Venice Biennale. 

To be eligible, proposals must include:

• an artist or artists with an established and high-quality practice, and a demonstrated exhibition history in Australia and/or internationally
• a curator with significant experience in exhibition-making, writing, and publishing, and capable of delivering complex projects. 

The project must be feasible, consider the specific physical features of the Australia Pavilion, the duration of the exhibition, and the production timeline.

Creative Australia strongly encourages applications from across the breadth of the visual arts. This is an opportunity to propose new work that is timely, ambitious and capable of engaging new audiences on one of the most visible international platforms for contemporary art. 

Shortlisted applicants who progress to Stage Two will be expected to expand on their Stage One application to develop a detailed artistic proposal. The successful Stage Two proposal will demonstrate:

• the development of an ambitious new body of work that engages meaningfully with current international discourses, with any inclusion of existing works clearly supporting progression in the artist’s practice and artistic enquiry
• a clear, rigorous and compelling curatorial rationale
• a considered response to the spatial conditions of the Australia Pavilion
• strong audience focus, including consideration of engagement, accessibility, inclusivity, and experience across the full duration of the Venice Biennale
• the timeliness and relevance of the proposal within a contemporary context
• the capacity to collaborate effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders, including Creative Australia, partners, supporters, media, and audiences
• adherence to the Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts
• application of best practice methodologies in the development and production of the work, including approaches to community engagement where relevant
• integration of sustainability considerations to reduce the carbon footprint of the exhibition
• availability to use their public profile in partnership with Creative Australia to build positive engagement and dialogue about contemporary art in Australia
• preparedness to enable presentation of the exhibition work within Australia following its presentation in Venice
• the willingness of the Artistic Team to commit the time required to develop a project of this scale including exhibition development, publication, media and any other key areas of focus in the project.

Proposals may focus on presenting new work and/or significant extension of existing practice of one or more artists. Similarly, proposals may include one curator or a number of curators.

Proposals cannot list the same individual as curator and artist. Proposals require a curator to be involved in the project.

Accessibility/Contact

If you need advice about applying, contact us.
Phone: 02 9215 9000 
Toll-free: 1800 226 912 
NRS: 1800 555 677 | Visit the NRS 
Email: venice@creative.gov.au