Carolina Lio (b. Italy, 1984) is a curator, writer and researcher based in London. She hold an MA in Curating Contemporary Art from the Royal College of Art, London, and studied in the post-master programme CuratorLab at Konstfack University, Stockholm. She is founding director of the art organisation LOOKING FORWARD, London; associate curator at ACAVA, UK; associate curator at SPEX Switzerland; and university lecturer in History of Art and Design at Istituto Marangoni, Manchester Metropolitan University.
In 2020, she is developing a social media based project for Visible Platform, Cittadellarte - Fondazione Pistoletto and Fondazione Zegna, Italy; and she is the recipient of the SAC International Curatorial Residency, City of Barcelona.
Previously, Carolina has been curator-in-residence at USF, Bergen (2019); Fire Station, Dublin; and Art Affairs and Documents Foundation, Sofia (2018). In 2017, she was selected for the Neon Curatorial Exchange by NEON Organisation, Athens, and Whitechapel Gallery, London. In 2015, she was guest researcher at MACBA Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona.
She also curated exhibitions and public programme at Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art, Yerevan; Beaconsfield Gallery, London; EAC, Montevideo; Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice; Goethe-Institut, Sofia; Goldsmiths MFA, London; Hong Kong Arts Centre; Institute of Balearics Studies, Palma; and Italian Institute of Culture, Barcelona, among others.
Forensic Architecture
Richard Bell
Pedro Cabrita Reis
Luke Ching
Marcus Coates
Zackary Drucker
Jimmie Durham
Peggy Frank
Andrea Mastrovito
Otobong Nkanga
Leonor Serrano
research + residencies
2020 SAC International Curatorial Residency, Sant Andreu Contemporani, Barcelona. A residency by City of Barcelona, Institut Ramon Llull in collaboration with Fabra i Coats
2019 Grant for critics, Performing Arts Hub Norway, Oslo, and Tanz im August, Berlin
2019 Curator-in-residence, USF Verftet, Bergen
2018 Curator-in-residence, Fire Station, Dublin
2018 CLICK International Curatorial Residency, Art Affairs and Documents Foundation, Sofia. In collaboration with Goethe-Institut, Credo Bonum Foundation and
City of Sofia Culture Directorate
2017 Neon Curatorial Exchange, NEON Organisation, Athens, and Whitechapel Gallery, London
2015 Research fellowship, MACBA, Museum of Contemporary Art, Barcelona
2013 Researcher and coordinator in the project 'Opera Italia', Consulate of Italy in Guangzhou and Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou
2010 Curator-in-residence at AKOSS, Yerevan. In collaboration with ACCEA Armenian Centre for Contemporary Experimental Art, Yerevan; Visual Container,
Milan; European Cultural Foundation, Amsterdam; and Soros Foundation, New York
Her reviews, articles and essays have been published on Journal of Curatorial Studies; CtC Curating the Contemporary; Exibart; Flash Art; and Studies in Visual Art and Communication.