Arts of the Earth
12.05.2025 – 05.03.2026
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Isa Melsheimer, Wardian Case (Madrid), 2024, reinforced concrete, glass, potting soil, seeds, plants 49 x 55 x 38 cm
The exhibition Arts of the Earth proposes a reinterpretation of the transformations undergone by artistic practices in recent decades, taking into account the context of an increasingly evident and overwhelming environmental crisis. Tracing out a diverse cartography across multiple disciplines, Arts of the Earth aims to present a potential inventory of tools, prototypes, and hypotheses. Rather than being “prescriptive” by dictating what should be done, thought, or felt, they hold a documentary stance displaying signs of the shift that, over the last 60 years at least, has affected aesthetic production in terms of both the materials used and awareness of them. This transformation is evidenced by a number of historical works that have been partially or fully reconstructed, recreated, or reactivated, as well as contemporary pieces that, rather than seeking to last forever, pave the way for a circular economy of art. Their existence thus hinges on preserving the ecosystems from which they originate and to which they will return.
In recent years, artists from different generations and different cultures have pondered how to work with the earth when care and repair is most needed; how to appreciate and repay it for its gifts; and how to learn from what it brings us when it seems stripped of its natural wealth. The constructive potential of soil and its components extends far beyond classic formulations of sculpture, architecture, design, and landscaping. In a concrete, familiar, and dynamic sense, soil is the scene of incessant communication and exchange, of essential synergy between species that is constantly transcended for the good of the whole. In Arts of the Earth, artworks, projects, documents, and objects of ancestral wisdom are joined by a type of museography that makes use of new, locally sourced compostable or recycled materials and an innovative approach to exhibition logistics. This approach reaffirms and expands upon the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao’s commitment to sustainability. (Guggenheim Museum Bilbao)
Archistories. Architektur in der Kunst
Nov. 2025 – 12. Apr. 2026
Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Germany
Continual Process of Improvement IV, 2023, glazed ceramic, 61 x 58 x 46 cm
With Archistories, the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe presents a rich and multifaceted exhibition exploring the relationship between art and architecture across five centuries of creation. More than 100 works by 70 artists — spanning from the 17th century to today — delve into the many dimensions of built space: from utopias and memories to social critique and visual poetry.
Paintings, drawings, engravings, and sculptures engage in dialogue with contemporary installations, videos, and photographs, creating a vibrant and surprising encounter. The exhibition raises aesthetic, environmental, and cultural questions, revealing how architecture becomes memory, critique, and a source of inspiration. (Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe)
LICHTAUS LICHTAN
11.09.25 – 04.01.2026
St. Matthäus-Kirche
Kulturforum Berlin, Matthäikirchplatz, 10785 Berlin
Higher Heights
July 18. 2025 – March 20. 2026
DunHuang Contemporary Art Museum, Shanghai, China
Exhibition view; Photo: Galerie Jocelyn Wolff Paris
Radio Luxembourg: Echoes across borders
MUDAM Das Museum für zeitgenössische Kunst in Luxemburg
04.04.2025 –11.01.2026
Bergstadt, 2009
Glas, Silikon, Polycarbonat
48 x 110 x 85 cm
Installation view Photo: © Mudam Luxembourg