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Discover More About Folkestone Triennial 2025
Folkestone Triennial 2025 transformed the town with artworks that invited visitors to see Folkestone through new eyes. Eighteen artists from around the world responded to the question: How Lies the Land?
Their works appeared in familiar places and unexpected corners - on the coast, in the town centre, along streets, and in spaces shared by the community every day. Whether experienced by local residents or visitors from further afield, the Triennial encouraged reflection on our relationship with place, history, and the changing world around us.
Throughout the season, the Public Programme offered a rich line-up of talks, tours, film screenings and special events, opening up the themes of the exhibition and creating more ways to connect with the artworks and artists.
We also worked with local schools, families and young people to deliver creative workshops and educational resources - all inspired by the 2025 Triennial and designed to spark curiosity, conversation and imagination.
Alongside the main programme, the town came alive with Folkestone Fringe activity: a vibrant mix of exhibitions, performances, pop-ups and community-led events running in parallel with the Triennial.
Although the 2025 edition has now ended, the artworks and ideas it inspired continue to shape how we see Folkestone and the wider world.
What is Folkestone Triennial?
At the centre of Creative Folkestone’s wide-reaching programme sits the Folkestone Triennial - the most ambitious contemporary art exhibition in the UK, dedicated to new public commissions.
Founded in 2008, the Folkestone Triennial invites internationally acclaimed artists to use the town itself as their gallery. Each edition commissions around 20 artworks, responding to Folkestone’s rich coastal landscape, layered history and complex present. The result is a powerful, site-specific exhibition in public space - offering a bold, thought-provoking encounter with art in the everyday.
The Triennial is unique in its long-term impact. The Triennial is unique in its long-term impact. Many artworks remain in place and contribute towards the Folkestone Artworks exhibition. The Triennial is one of only a handful of recurring exhibitions worldwide - alongside Skulptur Projekte Münster (Germany), Echigo-Tsumari (Japan) and SITE Santa Fe (USA) - that aim to transform place through art, not only in the physical environment but in the consciousness of the community.
Artists commissioned across past editions include Cornelia Parker, Christian Boltanski, Jeremy Deller, Cristina Iglesias, Martin Creed, Mark Wallinger, Richard Wilson, Andy Goldsworthy and AK Dolven. Together, they’ve helped position Folkestone firmly on the international art map.
Folkestone Triennial 2025: How Lies the Land? is curated by Sorcha Carey, Director of Collective.
