Curation plays a vital role in contemporary art, requiring curators to consider not only the aesthetic value of works but also their cultural, political, and historical significance. In today’s rapidly changing world, curators engage with global issues such as identity and the re-examination of history, provoking a dialogue that resonates with diverse audiences. They aim to create experiences that extend beyond gallery walls, encouraging reflection on both the artwork and the world around us.

In 2025, the following curators are presenting new artistic practices with a commitment to addressing contemporary concerns, in turn redefining the art landscape. By reinterpreting history, fostering community engagement, and challenging societal norms, their work not only reshapes art’s role in the present but also invites reflection on the forces shaping our future.

Ned McConnell and Yates Norton

Installation view of “Immortal Apples, Eternal Eggs” at Hastings Contemporary in partnership with the Roberts Institute of Art and the Ingram Collection, 2024. Photo: Chip Creative.

Ned McConnell and Yates Norton are the curators behind the Roberts Institute of Art (RIA), a contemporary arts organization that emphasizes performance, exhibitions, and public engagement. They are known for their commitment to blending creativity, academic rigor, and social dialogue through their curatorial practice. McConnell and Norton’s upcoming projects include The Ruin by Simeon Barclay (ICA London, 2025) and In Attendance: Paying Attention in a Fragile World (Fitzrovia Chapel, January 2025).

They have co-curated significant performances, such as Hey, Maudie by Rachel Jones (2023), an operatic work inspired by Gwendolyn Brooks’s novel Maud Martha, premiered in London in 2023 and was developed through RIA’s support with contributions from poet Victoria Adukwei Bulley and composer Joseph Howard.

Premiering at Somerset House Studios in 2024, McConnell and Norton worked on another performance titled Alleus, by Prem Sahib. The performance reworks an anti-immigration speech by Suella Braverman, challenging harmful political language.

Alongside championing performance art through commissions and collaborations, McConnell and Norton are also dedicated to working with artists at the Roberts Institute of Art’s residency in Scotland, focused on cross-disciplinary thinking, experimentation and conviviality.

Lewis Dalton Gilbert and Charlene Prempeh

Lewis Dalton Gilbert and Charlene Prempeh. Photo: Shaun James Cox.

Lewis Dalton Gilbert and Charlene Prempeh are curators known for their innovative approaches to art, design, and culture. Prempeh is the founder of A Vibe Called Tech, a platform with a culturally diverse lens on design, technology, and the arts. Through her agency, she leads partnerships and events across London, working with institutions like the V&A East and Whitechapel Gallery, and brands like Stine Goya. She is also a Financial Times columnist and a trustee for the Contemporary Arts Society. Charlene’s debut book, Now You See Me: 100 Years of Black Design (2023), highlights her passion for amplifying underrepresented voices in design.

Lewis Dalton Gilbert, creative director at A Vibe Called Tech, is a seasoned curator with a focus on identity and culture. He has curated impactful exhibitions, including the Hackney Windrush Art Commissions, and currently serves as the associate curator for New Art Centre. His independent projects, like NAU, NAU, DOH, CHAAR (2024) and Pictures of Us (2023), continue his commitment to championing emerging artists.

Fieldwork Facility and A Vibe Called Tech, Lineage for a Phantom Zone. Photo: Ed Park.

Together, they merge art, technology, and storytelling through A Vibe Called Tech, reimagining cultural narratives. Their collaborations, including with Gucci on its art anthology Ancora Londra, underscore their role in shaping the future of contemporary art and design.

Jessica Vaughan

Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings, Angels of History (2024). St James’s Park station. Commissioned by Art on the Underground. Photo: GG Archard. Courtesy of the artists and Arcadia Missa.

Jessica Vaughan is a curator for Art on the Underground and has been instrumental in shaping London’s public art landscape. Her work focuses on integrating art into everyday spaces, with projects that celebrate community, history, and creativity. At Art on the Underground, Vaughan has curated projects with artists such as Heather Phillipson, Lucy McKenzie, and Helen Cammock in London’s underground stations, continuously highlighting art’s ability to connect people and redefine public spaces.

Jessica Vaughan (middle) with artists Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings. Photo: Benedict Johnson.

One of Vaughan’s proudest achievements is the Brixton Mural Programme, which she initiated in 2018. The program has commissioned artists like Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Denzil Forrester, and Joy Labinjo to create works reflecting Brixton’s rich cultural history. In 2025, Vaughan will lead its latest commission with Rudy Loewe, whose mural will explore Brixton’s evolving identity and community narratives.

Looking ahead, Vaughan is curating several projects. In March 2025, Ahmet Öğüt’s Saved by the Whale’s Tail, Saved by Art at Stratford Station will showcase the power of art through a large-scale installation and public storytelling initiative. Later this year, Agnes Denes will create a conceptual piece for the Spring 2025 Pocket Tube Map, drawing from her iconic Map Projections.

Nana Biamah-Ofosu

Installation view of “Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Power in West Africa” at the V&A Applied Arts Pavilion, Venice Architecture Biennale 2023. Photo: Alice Clancy.

Nana Biamah-Ofosu is an architect, writer, and director of YAA Projects, an architecture and design practice dedicated to exploring counter-histories, material culture, and diasporic identities. Through her work, Biamah-Ofosu centers marginalized perspectives, creating architecture that engages deeply with place, identity, and community. Her practice spans research, design, and writing, with a focus on how the built environment reflects and shapes cultural narratives.

Biamah-Ofosu co-curated “Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Power in West Africa” at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, a standout exhibition interrogating the legacies of colonial modernism in the Global South. The project reflects her commitment to rethinking architectural histories and practices. Her recent work includes contributions to the Biennale’s main exhibition, “Pinpoint,” an archive highlighting African and diaspora practitioners focused on decolonization and sustainability.

Installation view of “Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence” at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Photo courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum.

As a writer and lecturer, Biamah-Ofosu explores the social and political dimensions of design, teaching at institutions like the Architectural Association, Harvard, and Princeton. With a forthcoming book on African compound housing and evolving research showcased internationally, Biamah-Ofosu continues to push the boundaries of architecture’s potential.

Fabio Cherstich

Goshka Macuga, Tales & Tellers (2024), in collaboration with Fabio Cherstich. Photo courtesy of Art Basel.

Fabio Cherstich is a Milan-based opera and theater director whose work bridges performance, curation, and storytelling. Known for his projects exploring queer art and culture, Cherstich is committed to unearthing forgotten narratives, particularly those from New York’s 1980s queer art scene. His multimedia performance Visual Diary, which debuted at La MaMa in New York in December 2024 (the next iteration is headed to Triennale Milano in May), combines narration, archival material, and audience engagement to honor the lives of Patrick Angus, Larry Stanton, and Darrell Ellis—artists whose careers were cut short by AIDS.

Cherstich has also played a pivotal role in reviving interest in Larry Stanton, curating the artist’s first retrospective at Apalazzo gallery in Brescia and serving as director of the Larry Stanton Archive. His artistic range extends beyond performance; recent work includes directing Miu Miu’s Art Basel Paris performative presentation with Goshka Macuga and designing a retrospective on fashion icon Elio Fiorucci at Triennale Milano.

A seasoned director, Cherstich has staged productions in renowned venues like the Mariinsky Theatre and Teatro Massimo. He also teaches theatrical aesthetics at leading institutions in Milan. With a deep commitment to merging visual arts and storytelling, Cherstich continues to curate engaging presentations on overlooked cultural histories while advancing contemporary opera and performance art.