talks – EASTTOPICS

An Interview with Corina Oprea on Romania’s Pavilion at Venice Biennale

At the 61st Venice Biennale, the Romanian pavilion, curated by Corina Oprea and Diana Marincu, presents Black Seas – Scores for the Sonic Eye, a project by Anca Benera and Arnold Estefán. In this interview with Corina Oprea, we explore how the pavilion reconceives the Black Sea as a materially and politically charged environment—where conflict, …

A Glass Pavilion for a New Vision

Emerging from a years-long dialogue between Oradea’s cultural visionaries and its community, NOCA marks a bold new chapter in the city’s artistic identity. Housed in a striking glass pavilion beside the historic Black Eagle Palace, the center positions itself as a dynamic hub for contemporary creation, experimentation, and exchange. With a curatorial strategy that bridges …

Questions Before Conclusions: Inside RAVNIKAR Projects

She watched potential go unrealised under rigid frameworks, saw her generation overlooked, and decided to build what was missing: a porous, hybrid platform putting people before products, questions before conclusions. From Ljubljana, Piera Ravnikar is reimagining what a gallery can be—part institution, part community, part act of care. – An interview with Piera Ravnikar, Founder …

No White Cubes, No Old Men: The Bloom of Polana Institute

They brainstormed in the Croatian bushes, launched their first show with borrowed money, and dragged ladders through museums before breakfast. What started as a rebellion against the art world’s stiff white walls has grown into one of Poland’s unconventional—and unapologetically bold—art spaces. Welcome to the Polana Institute: part punk, part poetry, all heart. – An …

Interview with Lara Mejač

Explain what you do in 100 words! What do you like about your work? What does it mean to you to be a curator today? I’m a freelance curator based in Ljubljana. One of the most important aspects of my curatorial practice is working collaboratively. I believe it is very important to always work in …

Interview with Piera Ravnikar

The fast approaching third edition of LJUBLJANA ART WEEKEND will be curated by ETC., an annual magazine committed to showcasing contemporary artistic expressions spanning from the Baltic to the Balkans. The theme of the third issue of the magazine, Selling Out, directly correlates to the overarching theme of Ljubljana Art Weekend. It delves into the …

Macedonian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: An Interview with Curator Ana Frangovska

Pavilion of North Macedonia Describe your studio/work practice. My curatorial practice is based on a direct communication with the artists, almost always from the very essence of formulation of the idea, through discussions, sharing context understanding, explaining different aspects and multilayered approaches on a particular topic, constant following of the production process, or collective selection …

Romanian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: An Interview with Curator Ciprian Mureşan

Describe your studio/work practice. I don’t have a regular schedule although I try to go to the studio every day. Of course, before deadlines I get to work unfortunately almost around the clock. I share the studio with Șerban Savu who has a fixed schedule, working daily from 10 am to 7 pm. We are …

While We Rise from the Ground pastel and acrylic on fabric, wood 500 x 230 cm 2022 Photo: Zuzana Jakabová

Czech and Slovak Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: An Interview with Curator Lýdia Pribišová

The Echoing Silences of Metal and Skin_Doruntina Kastrati_Photo_Majlinda Hoxha

Kosovo Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: An Interview with Curator Erëmirë Krasniqi

Describe your studio/work practice. My curatorial practice is research-based. Accordingly, I don’t always work with artists when producing exhibitions. For a long time, I have been building archives and then activating them through exhibition-making, amongst other modes of presentation. In doing so, I seek to create space for subjects that have previously been overlooked. Generally …

Montenegro Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: An Interview with Curator Ana Simona

Describe your studio/work practice. My practice was for several years parallelly doing solo projects and working in a contemporary art gallery – Novembar Gallery in Belgrade where I worked as a curator and art director. In solo projects, I work mostly with artists whose practice I have followed for years, and with whom I have …

Greek Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: An Interview with Curator Panos Giannikopoulos

Describe your studio/work practice. I am a curator and researcher based in Athens. My curatorial practice revolves around thematic cycles, each delving into diverse yet interconnected areas of inquiry. At the core of my exploration lies a fascination with the notion of the archive. This involves examining how archives shape our understanding of history, memory, …

Edith Karlson. Photo: Alana Proosa / Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art

Estonian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: An Interview with Artist Edith Karlson

Describe your studio/work practice. I’ve created a system for myself, where I need to be in the studio as much as possible. Physical contact with material is important to me. I need to experiment with material, to touch and play around with it. Sometimes it’s almost like a fight, where mostly I’m the loser. Not …

Marta Czyż & Оpen Group (Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach, Anton Varga), Warszawa, Poland 2024, Photo by Piotr Czyż.

Polish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: An Interview with Curator Marta Czyż

Describe your studio/work practice. My practice draws on archives and recent developments in art history to influence culture and social movements. I research the history of exhibitions in Poland and the profession of curator. In 2015 I published a book, together with Julia Wielgus “In the frame of the exhibition – interviews with curators” where …

Czech Pavilion at the Venice Biennale: An Interview with Curator Hana Janečková

Describe your studio/work practice. I’m a curator, feminist theorist and art historian. My curatorial project are often based on collaboration – I enjoy an exchange of ideas and close collaboration. I’m also interested in a critical institutional practice, especially disability theories, in terms of what political demand we can make through a curatorial practice on …