Federica Chiocchetti has been appointed Arts and Culture Programme Manager

The Cité internationale des arts is delighted to announce the appointment of Federica Chiocchetti as Arts and Culture Programme Manager at the Cité internationale des arts. She succeeds Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, who held this post from January 2021 to January 2026.

“The whole team pays tribute to the work accomplished by Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez since 2021. Her commitment and critical thinking have helped establish a strong editorial direction, in line with the Cité’s values of hospitality and openness to the world. Building on this momentum, we are delighted to welcome Federica Chiocchetti. ” — Bénédicte Alliot, General Director of the Cité internationale des arts.

A former resident of the Cité in 2019, Federica Chiocchetti directed the Musée des Beaux-Arts Le Locle (MBAL) in Switzerland from 2022 to 2026. Through transdisciplinary and experimental exhibitions, publications and performances such as Le plaisir du texte, Animal Instinct, La scia del monte ou les utopistes magnétiques and Monte Verità, she fostered a fruitful dialogue between contemporary artists and historical collections, whilst initiating collaborations with the Fondazione Monte Verità, the Cabaret Voltaire and the “Les Nouveaux Commanditaires” programme.

Under her leadership, the MBAL has also made a name for itself through projects presented at Art Genève, the Venice Biennale and the Villa Medici in Rome, whilst strengthening its local roots through outreach initiatives and partnerships with cultural and educational organisations in Le Locle.

Previously, through her editorial and curatorial platform Photocaptionist, she collaborated with numerous international institutions, festivals, fairs, magazines and universities, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Jeu de Paume, Aperture, Paris Photo, the University of Lucerne, the Kunsthalle Budapest and the Tokyo Photographic Art Festival.

A nominator for the Bob Calle Artist’s Book Award, she also served on the jury for Pro Helvetia’s Swiss Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale.

Federica Chiocchetti holds a PhD on the intersections between text and image from the University of Westminster, a Master’s in Comparative Literature from University College London, and a Master’s in Publishing from the University of Milan and the Fondazione Mondadori.

Under the pseudonym Candida Desideri, she writes fiction—short stories and prose poems—published notably in Nachbilder: Eine Foto Text Anthologie (Spector Books, Zurich University of the Arts and Fotomuseum Winterthur, 2020) and in Der Greif (2015).