Carolina Lio (b. 1984) is a curator, writer and researcher based in London. Before settling in London, she has lived in Milan, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Barcelona. She holds a degree in Semiotics from Università di Bologna, 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.
Carolina is founding director of the organisation LOOKING FORWARD, London; curator at Empathy & Risk (Sheffield Hallam University and Global Challenge Research Fund), UK; curator at Visible (Cittadellarte - Fondazione Pistoletto and Fondazione Zegna), Italy; associate curator at ACAVA, UK; associate curator at SPEX, Switzerland; and lecturer in History of Art and Design at Istituto Marangoni.
In 2021 and 2022, Carolina is also curating the long-term project 3xME at the University of Luxembourg, supported by Oeuvre Nationale, Fondation Sommer and Esch-Sur-Alzette European Capital of Culture.
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 programmes 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.
Society of the Many is the first cycle of Visible Storytelling, a new curatorial format that tells the stories behind the projects of Visible archive through social media and an online public programme. Society of the Many gives visibility to projects that fight against social, class, and racial inequality challenging the narratives that allow the exclusion of the margins and of the fragile communities dealing with daily social injustice. Curated by Carolina Lio, the cycle involved 10 FB Live Conversations (August - October 2020) and 10 YouTube edited videos (December 2020 - April 2021)presenting projects by Ulf Aminde, Black Quantum Futurism, Daniel Godínez Nivón, Sandi Hilal, Khirkee Voice, Ahmet Ögüt, Los Angeles Poverty Department, Dread Scott, Marinella Senatore, Trampoline House. link
Primal Distance is an online platform, a public programme and a publication about the implications of distance. The project is produces by LOOKING FORWARD, London, and supported by Sant Andreu Contemporani, City of Barcelona, and Institut Ramon Llull. Artists involved: Camila Cañeque, Felipe García Salazar, Biel Llinàs, Joan Pallé. Project curator: Carolina Lio; assistant curators: Arianna Guidi, and Giulia Menegale. link
On Translation: Antoni Muntadas and the Politics of Translation in Visual Arts, published on Studies in Visual Arts and Communication Journal
Book review to Vessela Nozharova's "Introduction to Bulgarian Contemporary Art 1982 - 2015, published on Journal of Curatorial Studies
research
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residencies
2020 SAC International Curatorial Residency, Sant Andreu Contemporani, Barcelona. A residency by City of Barcelona and Institut Ramon Llull
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 Journal.
Forensic Architecture
Richard Bell
Black Quantum Futurism
Pedro Cabrita Reis
Los Angeles Poverty Department
Luke Ching
Marcus Coates
David Cotterrell
Zackary Drucker
Jimmie Durham
Peggy Frank
Daniel Godinez Nivon
Andrea Mastrovito
Otobong Nkanga
Cildo Meireles
Moira Ricci
Leonor Serrano
Pilvi Takala