Photography by Kevin Tadora
A new large-scale public art initiative is set to take shape along one of Dallas’ most heavily trafficked corridors. The KTX Biennial, announced this month, will debut in spring 2027 along the Katy Trail, introducing what organizers describe as Texas’ first public art biennial of its kind.
Spanning the trail’s 3.5-mile stretch through Uptown, Knox, and Highland Park, the exhibition will present nearly a dozen works by living artists, including both existing pieces and newly commissioned projects. The biennial is initiated by Friends of the Katy Trail and Katy Trail Art, with the inaugural edition curated by Jovanna Venegas, currently a curator at SculptureCenter in New York.
Conceived as a fully outdoor exhibition, the KTX Biennial positions the trail itself as the primary site of engagement. Organizers emphasize accessibility, with all works free to the public and integrated directly into the surrounding landscape. The project builds on the Katy Trail’s existing public art program, which has previously included artists such as Iván Argote, Eddie Martinez, Will Boone, Nic Nicosia, and Carolyn Salas.
The biennial is structured to extend beyond the installations themselves. Plans include educational programming, public events, panel discussions, and partnerships with local institutions, aiming to establish a broader framework for engagement across the city.
Venegas, who has held roles at SculptureCenter and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and served as a curatorial advisor for the 2022 Whitney Biennial, will lead the inaugural edition. Her recent projects include exhibitions and commissions with artists such as Fernando Palma Rodríguez, Mario Ayala, rafa esparza, Guadalupe Rosales, and Cathy Lu, among others.
The first iteration of the KTX Biennial will be organized around a thematic framework centered on the idea of the forest, examining shared space through both visible and less perceptible dimensions. Drawing from Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1971 short story Vaster than Empires and More Slow, the exhibition will consider how audiences move through and interpret environments, using the trail as a site for encountering contemporary art in an open setting.
Organizers position the biennial as both a local and international initiative, intended to connect Dallas to a broader global network of public art presentations while reinforcing the city’s existing cultural infrastructure.
The inaugural KTX Biennial is scheduled to open in Spring 2027, with additional details on participating artists and specific works to be announced.