Annual Programme 2026

Kunsthalle Wien is pleased to announce the programme of exhibitions for 2026.

It includes a series of solo exhibitions by artists that are presented for the first time in Austria; beginning with Guglielmo Castelli and Chalisée Naamani who will both present bodies of new work during the first part of the year and followed by Tiffany Sia and Magali Reus who have solo exhibitions at the end of 2026. Each of these has been co-produced with at least one other institutional partner in Europe, enabling us to further our institutional goals of being resourceful with our budgets and environmentally sustainable in our approach to realizing ambitious new commissions.

The programme for 2026 continues Kunsthalle Wien’s commitment to commissioning and producing new works by contemporary artists. While it remains broadly international in scope, it takes Vienna as its key focus, surveying the city’s vibrant artistic scene and taking the opportunity to explore the condition of life and work in Vienna in 2026. A major highlight is the return of the large group survey Lebt und arbeitet in Wien: Contemporary Art from Vienna. First realised in 2000, the exhibition was repeated at regular intervals until 2015 (latterly under the title Destination Wien). The 2026 iteration will begin with a public programme running through the year, followed by an exhibition across all spaces at the Kunsthalle Wien Museumsquartier and Karlsplatz. It will also include a new commission for the 62-metre vitrine on the exterior of the Museumsquartier building. Some new commissions for the exhibition will be supported by the Kunsthalle Wien Club.

2026 will also see the 23rd edition of the Kunsthalle Wien Preis, presenting the work of two artists, one from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and one from the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

By focusing on local artistic and community-based partnerships, Kunsthalle Wien will also seek to engage new audiences and widen participation via a range of new projects and initiatives. These include cooperations with neunerhaus – Hilfe für obdachlose Menschen [Help for Homeless People] and Ohrenschmaus as well as a series of workshops for neurodivergent children.

From January onwards, Kunsthalle Wien will also offer free admission to its exhibitions on the last Sunday of each month as part of a new initiative sponsored by Dorotheum.