COLOMBIAN JOSÉ ROCA TO CURATE NEXT LJUBLJANA BIENNALE OF GRAPHIC ARTS

MGLC, the International Centre of Graphic Arts in Slovenia, announced the appointment of José Roca (Barranquilla, Colombia, 1962) as curator of the 37th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts (2027). The Colombian stated: "The exhibition will approach print not only as a technical medium, but as a broader condition of contact, transfer and inscription. It will therefore include not only works of art, but also material culture, inventions, design objects, scientific artefacts and everyday forms that expand the ontology of the imprint."

Founded in 1955, the Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts is one of the oldest biennials in the world. It helped position Ljubljana and Slovenian art within an international context and played a pioneering role in the development of similar events worldwide. Today, the Ljubljana Biennale is a vibrant platform for artistic creation and critical reflection. It has evolved from an international exhibition of printmaking into a major contemporary art event that commissions new works, fosters international collaborations and engages diverse audiences through exhibitions, publications and public programmes. The 36th edition (in 2025) was curated by Chus Martínez.

Nevenka Šivavec, Artistic Director and CEO of MGLC, stated: "Nearly 15 years ago, we first encountered José Roca through his profound idea that graphic art serves as the 'unconscious of contemporary art.' By leveraging its capacity to leave an imprint, multiply messages and democratise information, printmaking seamlessly intersects with contemporary art—prioritising conceptual motive over traditional craft. After all this time, we are delighted that José has agreed to bring his imagination, insight and time to the 37th edition of the Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts."

"Over the past twenty years, my work has increasingly focused on the agency of non-artistic and non-human bodies, including landscapes and bodies of water. At the centre of this proposal lies a simple but far-reaching question: what kinds of traces do we leave in the world and how are those traces registered, transmitted or transformed over time?" said the curator.

Roca was Artistic Director of rīvus, 23rd Biennale of Sydney (2022), and Curatorial Advisor of BOG25 in Bogotá (2025). He co-curated the 1st San Juan Poly/Graphic Triennial (2004), the 27th Bienal de São Paulo (2006) and Encuentro de Medellín MDE07 (2007); he was also Artistic Director of Philagrafika 2010 in Philadelphia and Chief Curator of the 8th Bienal do Mercosul (2011). He founded FLORA ars+natura in Bogotá (2012–22) and was the Estrellita B. Brodsky Adjunct Curator of Latin American Art at Tate (2012–15). He is the author of several books, including Waterweavers: A Chronicle of Rivers and rīvus: A Glossary of Water. He served on the awards jury for the 52nd Venice Biennale and received the CIFO Curatorial Achievement Award (2012), among other honours. He lives in Bogotá.