Hedwig Fijen Steps Down as Manifesta’s Founding Director
Hedwig Fijen, founding director of Manifesta, will step down on 5 October, the nomadic biennial has announced

left to right Hedwig Fijen. Photo: Charlotte Ernst. © Manifesta 16 Ruhr Area; Emilia van Lynden. Photo: Samira Kafala. © International Foundation Manifesta; Catherine Nichols. Photo: Atdhe Mulla. © Manifesta 14 Prishtina
Hedwig Fijen, founding director of Manifesta, will step down on 5 October, the nomadic biennial has announced.
Since 1991, Fijen has overseen Manifesta’s programme direction, selection of curatorial teams and host cities. Over the past decade the event has taken place in Palermo (2018), Pristina (2022), Barcelona (2024) and the upcoming edition in Ruhr (2026).
The biennial foundation has appointed Emilia van Lynden as general director and Catherine Nichols as artistic director, who will work on the leadership of Manifesta 17, which will open in Coimbra, Portugal, in 2028.
Related content
News

José Roca to Curate 37th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts
Roca previously worked as the curatorial advisor of the inaugural Bogotá International Biennial of Art and the City

Soyoung Yoon to Direct The Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program
Yoon’s appointment to ISP occurs a year after its suspension following the dismissal of associate director Sara Nadal-Melsió

Russian Artist Robert Kuzovkov Killed in Poland
Robert Kuzovkov – known by his pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky – has been killed in Poland, in what appears to be an assassination

Brussels-Based Gallery Dépendance Closes
Dépendance, a Brussels-based gallery known for its adventurous programme of conceptually considered artists, has closed after 23 years of operations

Elfie Semotan, Austrian Fashion Photographer, 1941–2026
Semotan was best known for her work with Helmut Lang, who she worked with for over two decades on collections and runway shows

16th Gwangju Biennale Participating Artists Announced
43 artists and groups will participating in the Biennale, titled You Must Change Your Life

Philippe Vergne Appointed Chief Curator of The Bass in Miami
Vergne has been director of the Museu Serralves in Porto since 2019, and will take up his new position in the US in October

Tone Hansen Appointed Director of Moderna Museet
The appointment marks the end of Hansen’s time as the Director of MUNCH, Norway

Kulapan Yantrasast Appointed as Artistic Director of 2027 Bukhara Biennial
The 2027 Bukhara Biennial will be directed by architect and designer Kulapan Yantrasast, who will take over from the biennial’s previous artistic director, Diana Campbell

Cecilia Alemani to Curate 2027 Edition of the Taipei Art Biennial
Alemani previously curated the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, and is currently the director and chief curator of the public arts programme High Line Art

Open Letter Calls for End of Centre Pompidou Hanwha Partnership
The letter, published on 27 May, criticises Hanwha’s involvement ‘in the arms industry linked to the Palestinian genocide’
