Company Biennale – A New Category for Culture & Pride
Company Biennale – A New Category for Culture & Pride
The Context Work is changing. Hybrid models now dominate, with 71% of companies running some form of hybrid work, leaving offices visibly emptier. Yet only 21% of employees worldwide report being engaged at work (Gallup, 2024). Culture and belonging have become harder to sustain, with 90% of employers pushing retu
Many organisations are experimenting with new ways to engage employees, but the traditional toolkit – HR initiatives, teambuilding days, even branded values rollouts – often falls flat, sparking short-term energy without lasting cultural impact.
The Gap
Most cultural efforts are temporary. They energise in the moment but rarely create enduring pride or identity. Without deeper cultural anchors, companies risk struggling to bring people back to the office, losing innovation capacity, and watching talent disengage or leave.
At the heart of this is what many scholars and leaders are calling a crisis of meaning. We no longer have strong enough narratives, artefacts, or symbols that make culture feel real. Posters on walls or intranet slides aren’t enough to root values in daily life. Without tangible expressions of identity, employees struggle to connect their work to a larger story.
The Idea
Company Biennales are private art exhibitions co-created with employees. Through discovery sessions and creative workshops, employees’ stories, images, sounds, and objects are curated into professional exhibitions – launched digitally and as popups in company HQs. Each project culminates in a vernissage and a catalogue or book, leaving behind a permanent cultural artefact.
The concept draws inspiration from cultural Biennales such as the Venice Biennale — internationally renowned art exhibitions that become cultural landmarks. In the same way, the Company Biennale creates an annual rhythm inside organisations: a milestone event employees look forward to.
Organisations can also collaborate with contemporary guest artists, elevating prestige, visibility, and artistic quality.
At least once a year, employees across offices gather around a shared cultural landmark that captures the organisation’s evolving story. Local or regional editions can expand the impact, while the annual Biennale remains the heartbeat of cultural renewal.
Over time, each Biennale builds a living cultural archive.
The Name
Company Biennale The name Company Biennale is built to scale and personalise. Just as we have the Venice Biennale or Berlin Biennale, companies can now have their own:
● The Spotify Biennale
● The H&M Biennale
● The Klarna Biennale
It’s instantly recognisable, prestigious, and flexible – turning each company’s culture into a branded cultural landmark employees look forward to twice a year.
The Shift
Research makes it clear that art and creativity offer more than inspiration – they directly affect performance and wellbeing:
University of Exeter → Employees in “empowered” workspaces (with art and personalisation) were 32% more productive, 45% higher wellbeing, and 60% more engaged than those in lean spaces. https://news-archive.exeter.ac.uk/featurednews/title_98638_en.html
Harvard Project Zero – Art Works at Work → Workplace art strengthens social interaction, emotional responses, personal connection-making, and ongoing learning, especially when tied to mission and refreshed regularly. https://pz.harvard.edu/resources/art-works-at-work-the-impact-of-workplace-art
World Health Organization (2019) → A scoping review of over 900 studies concluded that the arts play a major role in preventing stress-related illness and improving mental health across populations, including workplace contexts. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789289054553
Gallup (2023) → Employees who feel their organisation invests in creativity and opportunities for self-expression are 3x more likely to feel engaged and committed. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/employee-engagement.aspx
American Journal of Public Health (2010) → Participation in art boosts dopamine release, supporting motivation, focus, and resilience – critical for organisations navigating change. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2008.156497
The Fit
This approach doesn’t compete with HR programmes or gallery shows – it creates a new category: part organisational development, part art curation. Budgets can be drawn from existing allocations in People & Culture, Internal Communications & Employer Branding, or Workplace Experience.
Primary buyer: Heads of People & Culture / HR Directors. Secondary buyers: Employer Branding, Internal Comms, Workplace Experience.
Why it matters
Creation, not decoration: Office art tells someone else’s story. A Biennale makes your people’s stories visible.
Enduring, not ephemeral: Workshops fade when they end. A Biennale turns the same energy into lasting symbols of pride.
Evidence-based: Research shows workplace art boosts engagement, wellbeing, and productivity (Exeter, Harvard Project Zero, WHO, Gallup).
It’s not training about culture – it’s making culture visible.
The Credibility
I bring 20+ years of experience in learning, development, and culture building, and have designed and facilitated hundreds of workshops on organisational change and employee experience. As a designer and photographer, I take responsibility for both process and outcome. My track record includes exhibitions for HSBC, H&M Foundation, and WaterAid – transforming complex stories into strong, aesthetic experiences.
