Paula Nascimento is an architect and independent curator based in Luanda, Angola. Her work engages with cultural practices, working at the intersection of visual arts, urbanism, geopolitics, and arts education. A significant aspect of her practice involves interdisciplinary methodologies and a focus on contemporary interpretations of historical themes in and around Africa and the Global Majority.
Nascimento has developed projects and curated exhibitions internationally, including the Serralves Museum, the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Venice Art Biennale, the Rencontres de Bamako – African Biennale of Photography, Experimenta Design, the Triennale di Milano, and the Lubumbashi Biennale, where she served as associate curator of the VI and VII editions, among others. Between 2019 and 2025, she was a Curator of the African Section at Arco Lisboa; between 2022 and 2025, she served as Chair of the Artistic Committee at Nesr Art Foundation; and was a member of the acquisitions committee of CAM – Gulbenkian.
Currently, Nascimento is a curatorial advisor to Hangar – Centre of Artistic Research in Lisbon, a member of the Steering Content Committee at CIMAM Conference Harare 2027 and has recently been appointed Co-Curator of the 17th Sharjah Biennale. She was awarded the Golden Lion for best national participation at the 2013 Venice Biennale, was a fellow at Independent Curators International (ICI), and has received several other awards.
