Heather Galbraith and Justin Paton have been honoured by the Creative New Zealand Arts Council and commissioner Jenny Harper with an invitation to participate in New Zealand’s presentation at the 55th Venice Biennale in 2013.

Galbraith, who currently heads up Massey University’s School of Fine Arts was chosen as deputy commissioner and Paton, current senior curator at Christchurch Art Gallery, was chosen as curator. Paton will support and collaborate with presenting New Zealand artist Bill Culbert at the Venice Biennale in 2013.

It is the second such appointment for Galbraith who co-curated Francis Upritchard’s exhibition Save Yourself in the 2009 Venice Biennale. As well as head of Massey’s Fine Arts School, Galbraith has held a number of prominent curatorial roles including senior curator art at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, senior curator at the City Gallery in Wellington, and inaugural director and curator of St. Paul St Gallery in Auckland. During her twelve year tenure in London she was curator at Camden Arts Centre.

Paton is one of New Zealand’s leading curators an award-winning writer on the arts, a television presenter and a 2012 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellow. His recent exhibitions include De-Building at the Christchurch Art Gallery; Unguided Tours: The Anne Landa Award for Video and New Media Arts at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney; and Outer Spaces, the Christchurch Art Gallery’s current programme of post-earthquake public art and offsite projects.

The 2013 Venice Biennale will be New Zealand’s sixth presentation at the exhibition and a team of people will be based in Venice during the 6 month exhibition.