Manifesta 16 Ruhr Biennial Reveals Artist Roster for 2026 Edition

The Manifesta 16 biennial has disclosed its complete artist lineup for the 2026 iteration. Scheduled to commence on June 21, 2026, this traveling exhibition will be hosted in Germany's Ruhr region, spanning four urban centers: Bochum, Essen, Duisburg, and Gelsenkirchen. The event will occupy twelve former modernist churches, repurposed as venues to investigate alternative societal frameworks and foster community engagement. A collaborative curatorial approach involving eight artistic directors will guide the presentation. The selection encompasses 106 contributors from 30 nations, with 64 pieces being newly commissioned works. Among those creating new installations are Emre Abut, Havîn Al-Sîndy, Begzada Alatovic, Özlem Altın, Mirosław Batka, Llorenç Barber & Montserrat Palacios, Mehtap Baydu, Mabe Bethônico, Sara Bichão, Aline Bouvy, Bureau Baubotanik, Cabosanroque, Pedro Cabrita Reis, Curro Claret, Constructlab, Jason Dodge, William Engelen, Ayşe Erkmen, Robert Fleck, Katharina Fritsch, Bérénice Gaça Courtin, Niklas Goldbach, Nicolas Grospierre, Albe Hamiti, Mona Hatoum, Judith Hopf, Julian Irlinger, Pravdoliub Ivanov, Sejla Kamerić, Eva Kotátková, Athina Koumparouli, Jarostaw Kozłowski, Lilli Lake, Justin Lieberman, Kateryna Lysovenko, Miedya Mahmod, Olaf Metzel, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Marina Naprushkina, Donja Nasseri, Julia Nitschke, Navid Nuur, Pınar Öğrenci, Pele Collective, Penique Productions, Elizabeth Price, Mykola Ridnyi, Mesut-Sabuha Salaam, Coumba Samba, Wilhelm Sasnal, Augustas Serapinas, Dennis Siering, Mikołaj Sobczak, SUPERFLEX, Cassidy Toner, Nasan Tur, Luc Tuymans, Gülbin Ünlü, Evita Vasiljeva, Emil Walde, Weberei Kai, Mira M. Yang, Abbas Zahedi, and Amanda Ziemele. Additional participants include Mehmet Aksoy, Bettina Allamoda, Halil Altındere, Atiye Altül, Akbar Behkalam, Cana Bilir-Meier, Ayzit Bostan, Cudelice Brazelton IV, Vlassis Caniaris, Fatma Ceylan, İsmail Çoban, Yıldırım Denizli, Ihsan Ece, Füruzan, Zuza Golińska, Philipp Gutler, Hava Güleç, Abuzer Güler, Mehmet Güler, Cihangir Gümüştürkmen, Nejla Gür, Annika Kahrs, Merve Kaplan, Muhlis Kenter, Azade Köker, Katarzyna Kozyra, Gasper Kunsic, Alicja Kwade, Julia Logothetis, Mihaly Moldvay, Asimina Paradissa, Jannis Psychopedis, Judith Raum, Anka Sasnal, Metin Talayman, Nesrin Tanç, Rıza Topal, Yıldız Tüzün, Ming Wong, Nil Yalter, Hanefi Yeter, and Serpil Yeter. This biennial edition emphasizes the transformation of decommissioned religious structures into platforms for artistic discourse and social reflection.