In the mid 1980s, Natalie King was in her late teens; she was restless and searching. Uninspired by law school and unsure of what to do 'when she grew up', King undertook a gap year to Italy. The experience proved transformative. She fell in love with  Florence's legendary musuems and galleries and returned to Melbourne with a better idea of what to do next: curatorship.

In the 30 plus years since, King has gone on to become an internationally recognised art curator, specialising in contemporary art and visual culture. In 2017, she was appointed to curate the Australian Pavilion at the 57th International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale.  In a rare honour, King will curate at the Biennale a second time: supporting first Pacific and transgender artist, Yuki Kihara, to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the 59th Venice Biennale, 2021.