Biennials Connect Grants

British Council Visual Arts is offering grants of up to £10,000 to UK and eligible international biennials/festivals to showcase contemporary visual artists’ work. Countries eligible to apply are Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipients. Applications are welcome from UK biennials/festivals showcasing work by contemporary visual artists from eligible countries and from biennials/festivals in eligible countries showcasing work by contemporary UK visual artists.

We recognise that the core activity or biennial/festival presentation may take place after the end of March 2023, but that the final activity and evaluation must take place before March 2024.

About the Grant

Since 2016, Visual Arts has supported global biennials to facilitate relationship building as an investment that may lead to future activity through the Global Biennials Fund. The grant supported 70 UK artists at international biennials. This updated offer, Biennials Connect Grants, builds on the legacy work of the Global Biennials Fund and has been devised as part of the Visual Arts programme, Biennials Connect.

The grants will not only support global Biennials in their ambitions to work with UK visual artists, but it will also offer grants to UK organisations to support international visual artists as well. The grants will directly benefit the artists through the biennial organisers by facilitating opportunities for travel, networking, professional development and skills building.

The Biennials Connect programme promotes cross-cultural exchange and collaboration by providing opportunities for artists and biennial organisers to connect, collaborate and build meaningful partnerships across the globe.

For more information, visit British Council Visual Arts