The Sharjah Art Foundation Selects My Curator for Sharjah Biennale 17

The Sharjah Art Foundation has announced the selection of Angela Harutyunian and Paula Nascimento as the curators of the 17th edition of Sharjah Biennale, set to launch in January 2027.
Harutyunian is a professor of Contemporary Art and Art Theory at the Berlin University of the Arts, while Nascimento is an architect and independent curator based in Luanda. Through their collaboration and joint work, the two curators will contribute to shaping the visions of Sharjah Biennale 17 as a space for critical reflection and thinking, an experimental exhibition platform, as well as an exploration of alternative contemporary realities and the limitless possibilities of art across a wide spectrum of practices and artistic projects.

Regarding this selection, Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi pointed out that since 2003, the Sharjah Biennale has served as a platform for creative experimentation, collaboration, and community impact. Its presence has become firmly established locally, while also creating a vibrant regional and international exchange space by connecting cultures and shared histories. She added: “Both Angela Harutyunian and Paula Nascimento offer distinct perspectives rooted in their individual practices. Sharjah Biennale 17 will be an arena for collective interaction and reflection, and a forum for exploring a new contemporary reality collaboratively.”

Paula Nascimento commented, “Biennials are essential spaces for experimenting with different forms and styles of exhibitions, community spaces, social and physical transformations. I aim to think alongside artists about the common ground between art production and infrastructure on a broader level. My interests revolve around exploring art’s ability to imagine and propose other spaces, worlds, and new forms of relationships.”

Meanwhile, Angela Harutyunian stated, “I seek to explore the possibilities and limits of the biennale by highlighting the uneven temporal rhythms that pulse within synchronization and contemporaneity. I would like to showcase the role of artworks in embodying post-life, in what decomposes and remains resilient against death simultaneously, and how this connects with emancipatory projects concerned with non-capitalist modernity.”

Angela Harutyunian
Born in 1982 in Gyumri, Armenia, Angela Harutyunian lives and works in Berlin. She is a professor of Contemporary Art and Art Theory at the Berlin University of the Arts. She co-founded the Asout Johannesian Institute for Humanitarian Research in Yerevan, as well as the Beirut Institute for Critical Analysis and Research (BICAR). Harutyunian has curated numerous exhibitions, including “This Is the Time, This Is the Record of Time” (with Nath Muller) at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (2014) and at the American University of Beirut Galleries (2015). She earned her PhD from the University of Manchester in 2009 and has previously taught at the American University in Cairo (2009-2010) and the American University of Beirut (2011-2023). She was part of the editorial team that founded Art Magazine and has conducted extensive research and writing on post-Soviet art and culture, Marxist aesthetics, the ephemeral nature of history, and art evaluation theory. She authored the book “Political Aesthetics in the Armenian Avant-Garde: A Journey through Iconic Reality 1987–1994” (Manchester University Press, 2017).

Paula Nascimento
Architect and independent curator Paula Nascimento (born 1981 in Luanda, Angola) lives in Luanda. Her practice is rooted in exploring the intersections of visual arts, urbanism, geopolitical contexts, and art education. She approaches her work through multidisciplinary methods, focusing on contemporary readings of historical themes related to Africa and the Global South. Nascimento has served as a co-curator for the 6th and 7th editions of the Lubumbashi Biennale (2019, 2022), and has developed projects and curated exhibitions worldwide, including the Bamako Encounters – African Photography Biennale, Experimenta Design Fair, Milan Triennial, and Angola Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale, which won the Golden Lion for Best National Participation in 2013. She is a technical advisor on art evaluation at the Hangar Center for Artistic Research in Lisbon and a member of the collection committee at the Gulbenkian Museum of Modern Art.

About the Sharjah Art Foundation
The Sharjah Art Foundation hosts a diverse range of contemporary art and cultural programs aimed at activating the art scene within the local community in Sharjah, UAE, and the broader region. It seeks to inspire creative talents, promote innovative and research-driven visual arts, foster dialogue among various cultures and civilizations, and reflect the richness and diversity of the local environment. The Foundation’s key initiatives include the Sharjah Biennale, March Meetings, the Artist-in-Residence Program, Education Program, Production Program, exhibitions, research, and publications, as