About

Curatorial premise

The London Biennale has no prescribed theme. Rather than asking artists to respond to a single idea, each edition takes its identity from the works selected for it. Painting, works on paper, sculpture, photography, applied arts and digital practices are shown together, without one discipline or school of thought taking precedence.

That openness is fundamental to the Biennale. A bronze may sit beside a photograph; an established artist beside someone exhibiting internationally for the first time. Neither medium, biography nor reputation determines the place a work is given. Each is presented on its own terms, within the wider exhibition.

Across previous editions, artists from around fifty nations have exhibited side by side. Different traditions, generations and approaches meet within a single exhibition, professionally curated as a coherent whole while retaining the individuality of each work.

Situated in London, the Biennale exists within one of the world’s most concentrated cultural landscapes. Galleries, museums, artists, critics and collectors form part of its wider context, while the exhibition itself remains open to everyone.

How artists are chosen

Artists submit directly to the London Biennale and are selected on the strength of the work presented. Submissions are open to artists of any nationality. The panel is not asked to consider where an artist studied, who represents them or their position in the market. Around 300 artists are selected for each edition.

This allows very different careers to meet on equal terms. Established artists can appear alongside emerging and previously undiscovered talent, not because they share a background or reputation, but because the work has earned its place in the exhibition.

How submission works

A charitable tradition

Charity has been part of the London Biennale since its first edition. Artists, collectors and supporters donate works and prizes, which are raffled during the exhibition with the proceeds going to charitable causes.

Over the years, those donations have included an original Andy Warhol, a work by Pietro Annigoni, the celebrated portraitist of Queen Elizabeth II, and a José Van Roy Dalí. Prizes have also extended beyond art: in 2019, a new Fiat 500 was raffled, with the winning ticket drawn at the Biennale by the Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea.

The tradition has continued through every edition, raising tens of thousands of pounds while making philanthropy part of the exhibition itself.

The causes we support

Funds raised through the London Biennale have supported organisations including Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign, The Salvation Army, London’s Air Ambulance and Age UK. One hundred per cent of proceeds from raffle ticket sales are donated to charity.

Across the Biennale’s history, these raffles have raised tens of thousands of pounds for charitable causes. The donations have traditionally been presented during the exhibition by the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, reflecting a civic relationship that has been part of the Biennale since its earliest editions.