Joel Valabrega is head of program / curator of Galeria Municipal do Porto. She holds a Master’s degree in Architecture (Politecnico di Milano and IUAV Venezia). She has previously worked in institutions such as Hangar Bicocca, Triennale di Milano and V-A-C Foundation, as well as in independent spaces such as MEGA and THEVIEW Studio. She was Curator of Performance and Moving Image at Mudam Luxembourg since 2020. In 2024, Valabrega curated the Luxembourg Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. She has curated exhibitions including group surveys such as After Laughter Comes Tears – A Performative Exhibition in Four Acts and The Illusion of the End. She has also curated performances and major new commissions with artists including Tarek Atoui, Alexandra Bachzetsis, Pauline Boudry & Renate Lorenz, Cecilia Bengolea, Trajal Harrell, Ligia Lewis, Taus Makhacheva, Ari Benjamin Meyers, PRICE, Éliane Radigue, James Richards, Michele Rizzo, and Nora Turato. In addition to her curatorial practice, she researches and collaborates with magazines and is the author and editor of several publications.