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We think long-term, and work across borders
Looking Forward develops interdisciplinary projects that move across exhibitions, research, publishing, residencies, digital platforms, and public programmes. We work with institutions, artists, and communities to explore how curating can respond to contemporary cultural, ecological, and social urgencies.
Our work is structured around long-term collaborations, flexible formats, and shared authorship, adapting to different scales, contexts, and challenges. From field-based projects and experimental pedagogies to strategic consultancy and critical publishing, each strand contributes to a wider commitment to rethinking how culture is created, organised, and shared.
All News


Feedforward: Curating in a Climate Crisis
On the 29th of January 2026, Looking Forward convened curators and cultural producers working at the intersection of art and ecology for a Feedforward session titled Curating in a Climate Crisis. Bringing together practitioners working across institutional, independent and interdisciplinary contexts, the session created space to reflect collectively on what it means to curate amidst ecological collapse and how curators and cultural institutions might respond with care and ima


Soft Ground: Textiles and Self-Soothing
Soft Ground is a four-month programme of free weekly drop-in textile-based art sessions designed to support mental wellbeing through creativity, routine, and communal making. Drawing from neurodivergent practices and trauma-informed methodologies , the sessions are open to all but particularly welcoming to neurodivergent participants. What: Drop-in textile-based art sessions designed to support mental wellbeing When: Every Friday, 2–4 pm, from 20 February to 5 June 2026


Report of Food for Landscapes: Recipes for Slow Disasters
During Design Week South Africa (23–26 October), Food for Landscapes: Recipes for Slow Disasters unfolded in Cape Town. This exhibition served as a vibrant meeting point for thinking, tasting, and discussing how landscapes and people might heal together. The project marks the first South African activation of a long-term, multi-continental initiative by British artist Andrew Merritt . He uses art, food, and ecological research to address “slow disasters” —a term he coined to


Free Webinars: Research and Development Fund by Arts Council England
A free online event providing a guide to the Research and Development funds and tailored advice on your application drafts. Want to apply for a grant of the Arts Council England as an individual practitioner? ACE is pausing the Developing Your Creative Practice grant until April 2026. In the meantime, to meet the needs of individual artists and practitioners, they have launched a Research and Development fund within National Lottery Project Grants. This 90-minute online sessi


Food for Landscapes at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden
The talk takes place during the anniversary event organised by the indigenous nursery and botanical studio Happy by Nature. As part of the Slow Disasters programme, artist Andrew Merritt and wild food expert Loubie Rusch (Local Wild and Sustainability Institute) will present Food for Landscapes – Recipes for Slow Disasters on Saturday, 18 October, at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in Cape Town. The talk takes place during the anniversary event organised by the indigenous nur


"Food for Landscapes: Recipes for Slow Disasters" at Design Week Cape Town
An exhibition and public session in Cape Town, resulting from a Field Kitchen activation in the Lynedoch Valley, South Africa. Exhibition Venue Church House, 1 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town Exhibition Opening Hours 23 - 25 October 2025 10:00 - 17:00 26 October 2025 10:00 - 16:00 Interactive Session with the Public 26 October 2025 14:00 - 15:30 ( RSVP here ) Field Kitchen is part of Field Hospital, a methodology being activated across three continents. It uses art, food,


Looking Forward at DCDC25: Reimagining Accessibility Through AI
We’re excited to announce that our director, Carolina Lio, will be speaking at this year’s Discovering Collections, Discovering...


SHCG Conference 2025: Curating Communities
We’re pleased to announce that Looking Forward’s curator, Sylvia Keck will be speaking at the Social History Curators Group (SHCG) Conference 2025, taking place on 25–26 June. This year’s theme, Curating Communities , brings together practitioners exploring how museums and cultural organisations engage with the publics they serve. Sylvia’s talk, titled "Programming Community: Creative Health Practices in London’s Art Sector ," offers a critical reflection on the rise of crea


Study Group at Delfina Foundation: Narrative Report
The first Slow Disasters Study Group took place at the Delfina Foundation in London on 29 May 2025. Hosted by artist and designer Andrew Merritt, curator Carolina Lio, and artist Emilio Hernández Martínez, with recorded contributions from Dr Nik Petek-Sargeant (University of Cambridge) and Maya Marshak (Sustainability Institute, South Africa), the session marked the launch of a transnational conversation on the ethics and practice of repair. Participants explored how Field Ho


Consultation Pack for Artists
Looking Forward offers a three-part consultancy programme to support artists and curators in navigating their next steps, whether you’re seeking funding, refining your portfolio or CV, exploring new opportunities, or simply figuring out how to move forward with a project or your practice. Led by Carolina Lio, curator and director of Looking Forward, the programme offers tailored, practical advice grounded in real-world experience across the UK and international cultural sect


Bronze Award, Artistic Catalogue category at the European Design Awards 2025
We’re thrilled to share that the book 'Marzia Migliora. Seven Imaginative Exhibitions 1993–2024", beautifully designed by Luigi Stanga,...


Field Hospital: Unearthing Study Group at Delfina Foundation
On Thursday, 29 May 2025, from 18:30 to 20:30, the Delfina Foundation in London will host the inaugural gathering of the Field Hospital...
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