Thiago de Paula Souza, a Brazilian-born curator and educator, has been appointed curator of the Eighth Athens Biennale, scheduled for spring 2026. De Paula Souza, based in São Paulo and a member of the artistic committee of NESR Art Foundation in Angola, is recognized for focusing on artistic practices involving transmutation through eroticism, gender nonconformity, and intimacy. He previously cocurated the 2025 Bienal de São Paulo, the 2024 Panorama da Arte Brasileira at MAM São Paulo, and the survey “Some May Work as Symbols: Art Made in Brazil, 1950s–70s” at Raven Row, London, and served on the curatorial team of the 2018 Berlin Biennale.
The appointment marks a strategic shift for the Athens Biennale, which also announced a new management structure with a board of trustees, an advisory board, and a curatorial committee. Billionaire shipbuilders George Economou and Dakis Joannou will chair the board, aiming to move the biennale from its earlier goal of international recognition toward a sustainable, collaborative model. This restructuring and the choice of de Paula Souza signal a renewed focus on curatorial depth and local engagement, potentially influencing how biennials balance global ambition with community relevance.