Berlin Biennale and Yokohama Triennale curators explore the Basque artistic landscape

Vasyl Cherepanyn, recently appointed curator of the Berlin Biennale, visited the Basque Country to gain first-hand knowledge of Basque artistic projects, agents, models and creative practices. Likewise, Yokohama Triennale curators Inti Guerrero and Cosmin Costinaș also visited a number of Basque artistic institutions.

Both visits took place within the framework of ZABAL, the internationalisation programme promoted by Etxepare Euskal Institutua to foster direct connections between international art professionals and the Basque artistic scene.

Vasyl Cherepanyn, Berlin Biennale

The curator of the Berlin Biennale visited a number of artistic spaces across the Basque Country during his stay on 21 and 22 May. 

The 14th edition of the Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art will open in June 2027 and is conceived as a reflection on the complex sociopolitical context shaping Europe today. The biennial will explore the role of art as a space for public engagement, critical memory and collective construction. 

Under the direction of Vasyl Cherepanyn, a Ukrainian philosopher and director of the Visual Culture Research Center (VCRC) in Kyiv, the programme will address issues such as democratic transformations in Europe, relations between Eastern and Western Europe and their social and cultural implications, the legacy of Soviet and colonial models, and new forms of solidarity and resistance.

Cherepanyn is a key figure in contemporary European art, with a career situated at the intersection of art, political philosophy and activism. He previously directed the Kyiv Biennale and is a founding member of the East Europe Biennial Alliance (EEBA). In 2015, he received the Princess Margriet Award for Culture in recognition of his work promoting art as a space for civic resistance and social transformation.

Inti Guerrero and Cosmin Costinas, Yokohama Triennale

Yokohama Triennale curators Inti Guerrero and Cosmin Costinaș visited the Basque Country on 25 and 26 May to gain insight into the local artistic context. During their stay, they visited Donostia/San Sebastián and Bilbao, where they met with local cultural agents, visited institutions such as Albaola Itsas Kultur Faktoria and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and learned about a range of artistic projects across the territory.

The ninth edition of the Yokohama Triennale will take place in Japan in 2027, supported by the Yokohama Museum of Art and other local institutions. The event has established itself as one of Asia’s leading curatorial platforms, bringing together artists and curators from around the world around large-scale artistic projects.

Inti Guerrero has developed much of his career across Latin America, Europe and Asia, promoting curatorial and educational practices with an international scope. He has worked as Curator of Latin American Art at Tate Modern in London, served as Artistic Director of Bellas Artes Projects in the Philippines, and was Chief Curator of Ireland’s EVA International biennial. His work is distinguished by a sustained interest in critical readings of colonial history, cultural archives and forms of representation in transnational contexts.

Cosmin Costinaș, a Romanian-born curator and writer, has built his career through leading institutions and biennials on the international circuit. He directed the Hong Kong art centre Para Site for more than a decade and has directed or curated projects such as the Kathmandu Triennale and the 2024 Sydney Biennale, the latter together with Inti Guerrero. He has also participated in the Shanghai Biennale and the Romanian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. His curatorial practice focuses on models that approach artistic production from global perspectives, paying particular attention to the intersections of politics, ecology and cultural circulation.

Basque projects and creativity in the spotlight

With the visits of Vasyl Cherepanyn on the one hand, and Inti Guerrero and Cosmin Costinaș on the other, one of the main objectives has been to showcase the creative richness of the territory, helping Basque art find a place in future international projects while strengthening connections between local and international circuits.

Both visits were organised within the framework of ZABAL, the strategic initiative through which Etxepare Euskal Institutua continues to strengthen the internationalisation of the Basque artistic ecosystem. Since its launch in 2019, the programme has enabled leading international figures to gain close knowledge of the Basque artistic context, contributing to milestones such as the participation of Basque artists in the Venice Biennale and Documenta. In this way, ZABAL reaffirms its commitment to opening new opportunities and spaces for dialogue for Basque creators on the international stage.