At Freunde von Freunden, we have always been fascinated by the intersection of creativity, community, and the spaces that house them. As we look into 2026, the global cultural calendar is shifting from mere exhibition toward deeper immersion. From an AI-driven museum opening in Los Angeles to a post-industrial biennial in Germany’s Ruhr valley, the upcoming year invites us to engage with the “archaeology of the present.” We’ve curated a guide to the openings, festivals, and performances that are set to define our collective aesthetic landscape this year.
Art: From Digital Frontiers to Desert Summits
The year kicks off with a significant shift in the Middle East as Art Basel Qatar makes its debut in February, bringing a rather large number of internationally renowned galleries to Doha. Shortly after, in March, the Tashkent Centre for Contemporary Arts – reimagined by Paris-based Studio KO – in Uzbekistan opens its doors in a transformed 1912 tram depot: A vital node on the new Silk Road. For those seeking sensory overload, Refik Anadol’s Dataland opens in Los Angeles this Spring as the world’s first museum dedicated to AI art. Meanwhile, Australia hosts Freunde von Freunden regular Olafur Eliasson for his sprawling survey, Presence, at GOMA Brisbane, focusing on the ephemeral dance between light and the body.
As summer approaches, the 61st Venice Biennale titled “In Minor Keys”, is set to be one of the most poignant and spiritually resonant editions in the festival’s century-long history. Running from May 9 to November 22, 2026, it is a posthumous tribute to its visionary curator, Koyo Kouoh, who passed away in May 2025 shortly after finalizing the concept. In keeping with Kouoh’s wishes and with the full support of her family, La Biennale is executing her project exactly as she conceived it — focusing on “opacity,” “the whisper,” and the “minor keys” of human existence as sites of resilience rather than despair.
In Germany’s post-industrial heartland, Manifesta 16 will explore the “rust belt” of the Ruhr region: From the 21st of June to the 4th of October 2026, Manifesta 16 Ruhr will take place across four cities in the Ruhr Area: Duisburg, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Bochum, in 12 abandoned post-war church buildings spread across the host cities.
We don’t know exactly when this will happen yet, but we’re excited: Previous Freunde von Freunden guest Tomás Saraceno is bringing Cloud City to Aalborg, and it will be the largest public commission to date in Denmark. Rising 33 m above the banks of the Limfjord, Cloud City Aalborg will be a permanent sculpture, conceived as a vertical plaza at play, for and with the communities of Aalborg. Accessible to more than 100 people at a time, this pieces will mark a rather special moment where art takes the scale of architecture to redefine social space and collective imagination. The year concludes with the long-awaited opening of Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, a deconstructivist cluster that promises to be a new global landmark. Exciting times ahead – our suitcases are packed…
Architecture: Tactile Living & Non-Nuclear Spaces
The architectural conversation in 2026 is dominated by “The Great Repair” and a return to the organic. For the very spontaneous, in Berlin right now, go see future F\F guest Gustav Düsing’s ice tent on Fürstenplatz in Berlin’s West End, as soon as you possibly can, today really, before it disappears again. It’s his reenactment of the 2017 project “Tent on Cuverville Island” for the Antarctic Biennale.
In April, LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries finally unveils Peter Zumthor’s amoebic, floating concrete design, while the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art brings Ma Yansong’s “spaceship” silhouette to the LA skyline on September 22. In Europe, the New European Bauhaus Festival in Brussels tackles the Green Deal through a creative lens, while the Oslo Architecture Triennale asks the radical question: “What if Nature Comes First?”
For those who appreciate the quietude of the Alps, David Chipperfield’s Muzej Lah opens in Bled, Slovenia, offering a private sanctuary for contemporary art. In Denmark, The Next Level at ARoS Aarhus will inaugurate James Turrell’s “The Dome,” a 50-foot subterranean light temple. Further East, Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art by BIG and the Shanghai Grand Opera House by Snøhetta illustrate China’s continued commitment to avant-garde public infrastructure.
Design: Social Change & Materiality
Design in 2026 moves beyond the object and toward the social. This January, at Maison&Objet, Freunde von Freunden recent guest Harry Nuriev will unveil his latest chapter: a new collection of home objects created exclusively for Baccarat, alongside the scenography he imagined for the brand’s Parisian spaces. The Madrid Design Festival (February–March) focuses on design as a tool for cultural change, while Frankfurt takes the mantle of World Design Capital with the theme “Design for Democracy.” The industry mainstays — Salone del Mobile in April and the London Design Festival in September — remain essential pilgrimages, but keep an eye on the Collectible Fair in Brussels for furniture that blurs the line with high art, and 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, of course.
A major highlight for the autumn is the Es Devlin Retrospective at London’s Design Museum, the first major UK museum show for the visionary stage designer. In Sweden, the Stockholm Furniture Fair (February 3–7) continues to lead the way in circular design and Scandinavian minimalism, proving that the future of the home is as much about ethics as it is about aesthetics.
Music & Sound: Immersive Landscapes
The sonic landscape of 2026 is headlined by the opening of V&A East in London on April 18, featuring the exhibition The Music is Black: A British Story, a deep dive into how Black British music has shaped global culture. In New York’s Lower East Side, CANYON emerges as a 40,000-square-foot hybrid venue dedicated to the “downtown social scene” and immersive performance. Back in Europe, the Heidelberger Frühling festival in March is a project very dear to pianist Igor Levit, who we interviewed just a few months ago, and who shared some rather amusing insights on his last visit to Heidelberg.
For those tracking the FvF alumni circle, 2026 sees Max Richter embark on his intimate In A Landscape tour, while Hildur Guðnadóttir performs a massive homecoming concert in Reykjavik (read her F\F story here). In November, Apparat (and F\F alumnus Sascha Ring) brings a new AV Live show to Paris and Berlin, bridging the gap between electronic precision and visual art. We are also thrilled to announce that F\F UNFOLDED will become a regular fixture in Berlin, establishing a new home for our community’s musical discoveries. UNFOLDED 02 coming soon, very.
The Interdisciplinary Mix: Fashion, Food & Heritage
The most exciting developments often happen between categories. April 2026 marks the opening of the Fondazione Dries van Noten at the Palazzo Pisani Moretta in Venice, a space dedicated to the “patient passage of time” and the meeting of mind and hand. This coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Antwerp Six at MoMu Antwerp, celebrating the collective that put Belgian fashion on the map. In London, NIGO: From Japan with Love opens May 1, charting the Kenzo director’s massive influence on streetwear and luxury.
On the culinary front, René Redzepi takes Noma 3.0 on the road with a pop-up in Los Angeles, while in Berlin, we look forward to the spring opening of a new project by culinary mastermind Manuel Pinciroli. Finally, the photography world gathers in July for Les Rencontres d’Arles, where the Discovery Award will once again spotlight the emerging voices who will likely fill these very lists in the years to come.
As we navigate this crowded calendar, the common thread is a desire for slow, meaningful connection – whether through a subterranean light temple in Aarhus or a community-focused music festival in Slovakia. We hope to see you at one of these milestones as we continue to explore what it means to live creatively in an ever-evolving world.
