Caterina Avataneo (b. 1989) is an independent curator based in Turin. Her curatorial practice involves thinking intuitively through artworks and experimenting with methodologies of intimate exchange, in particular through a series of duo-collaborative projects which she has been running since 2019. After having been involved in a research group around the topic of "evil" in 2019, she gradually developed an interest for the aesthetics of the dark in contemporary art practice; the role of darkness, negativity and evil (intended more in its original etymology of exceeding limits). She is currently focused on Gothic recurrence and its temporal and historical implications.

She is part of the curatorial team of Pompeii Commitment – first contemporary art program conceived and produced by the Pompeii Archaeological Park – as well as of DEMO Moving Image. Since 2020 she is also curatorial consultant for the New Entries section for emerging galleries at Artissima (Turin) and part of the board for the residency programme at Cripta747 (Turin).

​

In 2019 she was Assistant Curator of Sun & Sea (Marina), the Lithuanian Pavilion for the 58th Venice Biennale - winner of the Golden Lion. From 2018-2021 she worked as Associate Curator at Arcade Gallery (London & Brussels) and as Assistant Curator on assigned projects at Serpentine Gallery (London).

​

She holds an MA in Architecture from Politecnico of Turin (2014) and an MA in Curating from London Metropolitan University and Whitechapel Gallery (2017). She was awarded the 2017 NEON Curatorial Award by The Neon Foundation and Whitechapel Gallery and her curatorial projects have appeared in institutions and galleries including: Kunstraum, Austrian Cultural Forum, Zabludowicz Collection, White Crypt, Open Space and Gossamer Fog (all London); Arcade (London & Brussels); HAUS and Pina (Vienna); Britta Rettberg (Munich); Almanac (Turin) and SixtyEight Art Institute (Copenhagen).

Since 2017 she has been invited as Curator in Residence at a number of international institutions, including: NEON (Athens); Danish Arts Foundation (Copenhagen); Salzburger Kunstverein (Salzburg); RUPERT (Vilnius); 40mcube (Rennes) and FRAME (Helsinki).

​

She has been the editor/assistant editor of a number of publications including the Vynil Catalogue for Sun & Sea (Lithuanian Pavilion for the 58th Venice Biennale 2019) and Park Night & Marathon booklets (Serpentine Galleries 2018 & 2021). She has been commissioned to write texts for catalogues and exhibitions at Austrian Cultural Forum, NERO, Azkuna Zentroa, among others. Her writing has appeared in Flash Art, ATP Diary and Curating the Contemporary.