Next exhibition to be presented August 14 – September 12, 2027 on the Bonavista Peninsula
May 26, 2026
Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador – The Bonavista Biennale is thrilled to announce the appointment of Chris Clarke as Curator of the 2027 Bonavista Biennale. Clarke will work alongside Bonavista Biennale’s Executive Director Sue Balint to create a compelling vision for the sixth edition of the month-long contemporary art exhibition, opening August 14, 2027.
“I am honoured to have been selected as the Curator of the 2027 Bonavista Biennale,” says Clarke. “As a Newfoundland-born curator and writer, I have long been an admirer of the Biennale’s dedication to bringing contemporary art to the Bonavista Peninsula and the insightful and inspiring programmes delivered by its previous curators and team. It is a real privilege to be able to build upon and to continue their endeavours. I am already looking forward to the experience and the opportunity to curate the Bonavista Biennale back in the beautiful, vibrant environment of my home province.”
Clarke’s appointment follows an extensive hiring process that drew interest from well over one hundred applicants from across Canada and internationally.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Chris back home for the next iteration of the Biennale,” says Executive Director Sue Balint. “I’m excited by his practice, vision and the curiosities he’s expressed around how the next exhibition will unfold. I look forward to supporting his work, and to realize the 2027 Bonavista Biennale by his side.”
The 2025 Biennale saw attendance figures of nearly 21,000, with further growth and international exposure anticipated for this sixth edition. The Bonavista Biennale plays a significant role in supporting the cultural and economic growth of the Bonavista Peninsula, and acknowledges the Peninsula’s communities and residents’ role in supporting our success.
About Bonavista Biennale
Bonavista Biennale is an innovative, rural-based, public art event occurring every two years on Newfoundland’s Bonavista Peninsula. It provides a unique platform for artists and audiences to explore, exchange and challenge different ideas and perspectives. Biennale visitors experience artworks alongside the complex and compelling histories, economies, geological features and environments that shape the Bonavista Peninsula. Projects are realized in unconventional outdoor and indoor sites, including historic and industrial buildings, outport villages, beaches and cliffsides.
Biography of Chris Clarke
Chris Clarke (St. John’s, 1975) is an independent curator and critic based in Vienna, Austria.
He is currently Curator with Innsbruck International Biennial of the Arts (2018-present) and was previously Senior Curator at The Glucksman, Cork, Ireland (2009-2024) and Visual Arts Education and Publications Manager at Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK (2006-2008). He has independently curated exhibitions and projects in Austria, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, and the UK, including the exhibitions Phantom Limb at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna (2026), Under the Surface: Newfoundland and Labrador at the Venice Biennale (2015), and The Second Act at De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam (2011).
He has written for publications and journals including Art Monthly, Camera Austria, Circa, MIRAJ, Photography & Culture, Source, Spike Art Magazine, VAN, and Whitehot, as well as numerous exhibition catalogues and artist monographs. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, MUN in 1999 and is currently a PhD student at University College Cork, Ireland, where he is writing on ‘The Curated Encounter’.
Click here to download high resolution images of Chris Clarke. Photo credits included in file names.
Click here to download a selection of project images from the 2025 Bonavista Biennale: String Games. All photos by Brian Ricks.
Click here to download this press release.
Further announcements to follow. Visit the Biennale’s website, subscribe to the e-newsletter and follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Media Contact:
Sue Balint, Executive Director
sue@bonavistabiennale.com
647.216.3974
_______________________________________
Bonavista Biennale gratefully acknowledges that the land on which we gather is Ktaqmkuk, traditional unceded Mi’kmaw territory. We further acknowledge with respect the diverse histories and cultures of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Innu and Inuit of this province, and the ongoing connections with the past, present and future in our relationships with Indigenous and other peoples in Newfoundland and Labrador.