Venice Biennale Fellowship Programme

The British Council's 2024 Venice Fellowship Programme

We are delighted to be part of the British Council’s 2024 Venice Fellowship programme, and to offer an opportunity for two artists from the North West to spend a month in Venice during the world’s most important art and architecture biennales.

The Fellowships Programme is a key part of the British Council’s presence in Venice, supporting the exhibition programme as well as being a platform for the development of artists and creatives. The Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for early career artists to represent the UK on an international level whilst broadening their perspective, making connections and developing their creative practice.

What is the Venice Biennale?

From May to November, alternating between art and architecture, the Venice Biennale (Italian: La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation.

The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of its kind. The official Biennale exhibition is spread across two venues in the east of the city: the Arsenale and the Giardini. The Giardini, an area of parkland, houses the Central exhibition Pavilion and 29 national pavilions. Each of them, including the British Pavilion, presents its own showcase from a particular country or region.

Artist and film-maker John Akomfrah will represent the UK at the Venice Biennale in 2024. Akomfrah, who was honoured with a knighthood in the 2023 honours list, is known for his art films and multiscreen video installations exploring issues such as racial injustice, diasporic identities, migration and climate breakdown. Next year the Ghanaian-born artist’s work will fill the British pavilion at Venice from April until November.

For more information about John Akmofrah’s exhibition go to Listening All Night To The Rain at the British Pavilion 2024 | British Council

About the Fellowship Programme

The Fellowship programme supports approximately 70 artists and creatives from across the UK to attend the Venice Biennale for one month every year. Fellows spend half their time working at the British Pavilion, acting as Exhibition Ambassadors and interacting with visitors and supporting the exhibition. The other half of the time in Venice is dedicated to artists being able to develop or exhibit their own independent research or creative project and using the Biennale as a platform for artistic and professional development.

Find out more about the Fellowship Programme here: Venice Fellowships 2024 | British Council

Meet our 2024 Venice Biennale Fellows

Amy Townsend-Lowcock

Amy is a multimedia artist and researcher with an interest in memory, identity, and (post)colonial histories. Inspired by documentary techniques, historical archiving processes, and installation art, she creates live performances that invite audiences to re-imagine British identity. Her performance work includes ‘My Fruits’ (HOME Manchester, 2023) and ‘Handle with Care’ (Contact Theatre, 2022).

Isabella So

Isabella is a multidisciplinary artist based in Manchester. She draws upon her unique cultural identity as both a Hong Konger and Korean to explore themes of identity, memory, and slice-of-life stories with a comedic twist. Raised on the power of storytelling, Isabella approaches her work in performance, directing, and projection design with a focus on uplifting diverse narratives and engaging audiences through immersive techniques. During her theatre studies at Coventry University, Isabella began experimenting with video projections and devised performance pieces that delved into questions of identity and memory. Since graduating, she has continued to hone her experimental, contemporary approach, fusing elements of comedy, technology, and cultural commentary.