MGLC, the International Centre of Graphic Arts in Slovenia, has appointed Colombian curator José Roca to lead the 37th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts in 2027. Roca plans to expand the definition of print beyond traditional techniques, incorporating material culture, design objects, scientific artifacts, and everyday forms that explore the ontology of the imprint. He previously served as artistic director of the 23rd Biennale of Sydney and has held curatorial roles at Tate and major biennials in São Paulo, Medellín, and Philadelphia.
The appointment matters because the Ljubljana Biennale, founded in 1955, is one of the world's oldest print biennials and has been a key platform for Slovenian and international graphic art. Roca's vision to treat print as a broader condition of contact and transfer—including non-artistic and non-human traces—signals a conceptual evolution for the event, aligning it with contemporary art's interest in ecology, materiality, and expanded media. His track record of leading major international biennials and his focus on water and landscape further suggest the 2027 edition will push the biennial into new thematic territory.