Kunstuni Campus @ ARS ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL 2026
Eröffnung: 8. September, 17.00 Uhr; Ausstellung bis 13. September 2026 Hauptplatz 6 und 8, splace am Hauptplatz und Domgasse 1, 4020 Linz
The University of Art and Design Linz Campus Celebrates the Ars Electronica Festival with Around 200 Presentations and Bold Visions for the Future
From September 8 to 13, about a dozen programs from the University of Art and Design Linz, along with 21 international partner universities, will be active in the city center, presenting experimental media art at its finest as part of the Kunstuni Campus.
For more than two decades, the University of Art and Design Linz and its campus have been a fixture of the Ars Electronica Festival, whose central theme this year is “FUTURE BEGINS – NEGOTIATING HUMANITY.” First participating in 2002, the University of Art and Design Linz is today not only a platform for showcasing the work of its students and faculty but also a hub for international exchange with colleges and universities from around the world. At the same time, the campus becomes a celebration zone: visitors from near and far can expect a diverse program that stretches from the basement to the glass lecture halls on the roofs of the University of Art.
This year, the Kunstuni Campus—taking place September 8–13, 2026, at the locations Hauptplatz 6 and 8, as well as at Domgasse 1—will have a stronger presence than ever: More than a dozen departments of the University of Art and Design Linz, 21 international universities—from Berlin to Kyoto to Zurich—as well as numerous partners from the art and culture scene will come together in the center of Linz to present their work, exchange ideas, find inspiration, and engage in dialogue and discussion with the interested public through their unconventional approaches to the theme “Negotiating Humanity”—through exhibitions, installations, performances, screenings, and workshops—and engage in dialogue and discussion with the interested public.
And visitors can also look forward to some new features—for example, at Hauptplatz: Following the projections on the Kunstuni facades, the tower, and the doors in line with the motto “Everything Always Open” in previous years, this year there will be a joint project by Ars Electronica and Kunstuni Linz between the Neptune Fountain and the Trinity Column: A public structure with many faces offers art and people an open space and a safe place where everyone can express their opinions and listen to the voices of both individuals and the collective. During this public intervention, keep an eye out for activist collaborations with partners such as ATTAC Austria, FIFTITU%, and the “Flood the Zone with Courage” initiative—in which Interface Cultures students are also participating with five projects and calling on artists, activists, students, and visitors to develop new forms of protest—performative, participatory, and radically collective. A wide variety of other contributions from the Interface Cultures program—which has previously presented its projects at Post City—can be seen this year in the Audimax at Domgasse 1 under the title *Codes [ ] Rituals *. And another first: The *splace* on Hauptplatz will serve as the festival headquarters. The Sound Campus, on the other hand, will take place over three days as usual in the courtyard at Hauptplatz 6.
At the University of Art, visitors can expect to see around 200 works by students and emerging artists covering a wide range of themes. This year’s festival theme suggests that a future lies ahead—but the presentation on the campus of the University of Art and Design Linz poses the bold question: “At what cost?” The exhibition offers a counterpoint to technological optimism; it points to a potential for the future that lies not in state-of-the-art solutions, but in the interplay of cultural voices.
Manuela Naveau, initiator of the Kunstuni Campus and co-curator, who is also a professor of Critical Data/Interface Cultures, comments: “Our students’ works are brand-new; most of them were created only in the last few months, without knowing this year’s festival title, NEGOTIATING HUMANITY. This makes it all the more fascinating how directly they resonate with its questions: What does it mean to be human in times of crisis, and who determines that? How must we rethink humanity if we understand our world as inseparable from other living beings, technologies, and our planet? And what becomes of humanity when what humankind has painstakingly achieved is so quickly forgotten?”
Rector Brigitte Hütter on the Art University Campus: “The Ars Electronica Festival is an annual international highlight in the field of innovative media art. With its Campus, the University of Art and Design Linz has been part of these sensational days for more than two decades as a platform for young artists and international partner universities. The 2026 edition will feature numerous innovations, such as the collaborative project “Flood the Zone with Courage” on the main square, which creates a public space for courage and encounter—and where, in times of multiple crises and parallel developments, there will be opportunities for lively discourse and vibrant exchange with artists, scientists, and visitors from all over the world—opening up new spaces for thought and action and offering a glimpse into possible future scenarios.”
Gerfried Stocker, Artistic Director of Ars Electronica: “As in previous years, countless students from the University of Art and Design Linz are once again contributing their projects and perspectives to Ars Electronica this year. Their exhibitions and presentations form the nucleus of a festival campus that has grown steadily over the years and will serve as a platform for more than two dozen universities from around the world in 2026.”
A selection of highlights at the Kunstuni Campus 2026
Codes [ ] Rituals
Interface Cultures
This year’s exhibition by the Interface Cultures department is on view in the Audimax at the Domgasse 1 campus and is titled Codes [ ] Rituals. Second-year master’s students have developed interfaces and performances for the exhibition: For example, a robotic worm is brought to life by the body heat of visitors; a limestone LP allows visitors to “hear” lime; movement and work are delegated live to a Bolivian student via a game interface, and a conversation takes place with an “uninformed” AI anxiety assistant. In doing so, students do not simply present “just” works, but rather demonstrate what they encounter in their search for structure and orientation, for security and familiarity, as well as their resulting personal systems and situations, which function as new forms of code and ritual.
Patrick Ortiz (BO), Marta Salinas (AR), Interface Cultures
Mío## - Economies of Movement, Procedures for Displacing a Body
“Mío##” is a livestream reimagined as a video game. The game character is replaced by a real person wandering through a city. Her movement is triggered by the participants, who act as players and control the diamond, which is unlocked through payments for each segment. The project proposes a choreographic framework in which the performers’ movement serves as a metaphor for migration—a journey conditioned, fragmented, and determined by external forces.
Sara Karimi © Alireza Khosroabadi
Alireza Khosroabadi (IR), Sara Karimi (IR), Interface Cultures
Vocal Duets
“Vocal Duets” explores contemporary conflicts between languages and countries—conflicts that take the form of wars. A rhythm emerges that becomes apparent in retrospect: one side attacks, the other responds with counterattacks. While language is generally regarded as a means of closeness, intimacy, and communication, these duets use the irony of the situation to restore the lost familiarity and peace between neighboring alphabets—Russian-Ukrainian, Hebrew-Persian, and Hebrew-Arabic.
Woonji Im (KR), Textile Art and Design
Fish (Skin) & Chips
As global fishing expands, large quantities of fish skin are produced as a byproduct, yet most of it is discarded. Through material experiments and archiving, this project shifts the focus from fish meat to fish skin. Ordinary fish skins are tanned to increase their durability, allowing visitors to experience differences in strength, texture, and smell through touch and smell. Using salmon skin—which is often used as fish leather—as an example, the project explores how tanning, dyeing, and yarn production can be used to create textile wall hangings (tapestries).
Mirjam Bär (AT), Time-Based and Interactive Media Art
Alphus Masculus—The Lifelike Alpha Male The interactive artwork “Alphus Masculus: The Lifelike Alpha Male” gives visitors tips on how to become a real “alpha male” as soon as they approach the figure. The fictional character humorously illustrates the absurdity of certain ways of thinking within the so-called “manosphere.” The figure’s statements are based on direct and indirect quotes from TikTok videos and podcasts by so-called “alpha males.” In this way, the irrationality of this ideology is exposed. The shoes worn by the artwork are the artist’s very first pair.
Carina Danzer (AT), Time-Based and Interactive Media Art
Cyb3rD4wg5
Are you tired of being limited by your body? By your weak limbs? By your missing arms? Don’t worry! “Cyb3r04wg5” is THE solution for you—that’s right, for you! Unleash your full posthuman potential with our state-of-the-art “Cyb3r04wg5”! Grab as many hot dogs as your heart desires—and then some—with the four arm attachments of “Cyb3r04wg5”! (Batteries not included.)
© Max Sabitzer
Max Sabitzer (AT), Bo Leiter (AT), Time-Based and Interactive Media Art
CompactSun Vol. 3 - Diffracted Light
A giant sphere made of 1,008 CDs transforms the entire room into a glistening, dazzling sea of light. Footage of solar storms and old science fiction films is projected onto the sculpture, allowing visitors to look directly into the sun. This installation is a declaration of love for storage media that are increasingly falling out of favor. Thus, this doomed star creates one last, colorful spectacle of the CD.
Nathalie Kronberger (AT), Time-Based and Interactive Media Art
Who Is Jumping, Jack?
“Who is jumping, Jack?” is an interactive, kinetic installation that translates visitors’ arm movements into mechanical sequences. The movements are captured in real time and transmitted to servo-controlled corkscrews, creating an immediate response to the visitors’ actions. Beneath the playful surface lie repetition, discipline, and control—movements that become part of a system in which routines are established and invisible strings are pulled. Who is “Jumping Jack,” and who is the puppeteer?
Kortus © Ellinor Brandenburg
Hanna Kortus (DE), Ellinor Brandenburg (DE), Time-Based Media
Egomaniac - Color the Night
At the heart of this song lies the experience of queer people whose voices are systematically silenced by ignorance and homophobia. It explores distorted perspectives, powerlessness, and the resulting pain, as well as the underlying mechanisms: power, fear, coldness, vulnerability, and hatred. The video eschews a traditional narrative style and instead focuses on visualizing these emotions.
Olesia Kvitka (UA), Valeriia Rymska-Dolhikh (UA), Maryana Steshenko (UA), Will Lopes (BR), Time-Based Media
Sympoiesis - Wunderkammer of Somatic States
“Sympoiesis” is a practice-oriented media art project that explores the body as an instrument of perception. In breath-based performances, EEG signals are fed in real time via OSC into a generative TouchDesigner system and a MIDI composition. This gives rise to audiovisual works and hybrid artifacts—cyanotypes, pigment prints, and encaustic paintings—shaped by sunlight, water, and wax. Each session forms a performative archive that proposes the breath as an interface and interaction with non-human actors.*
Lisa Puchner (AT), Time-Based Media
spininGround
“spininGround” is a playful exploration of the highway and the perception of landscape, as well as a declaration of love for cycling. Using a camera attached to the spokes, a bike ride unfolds as close as possible to the highway. The video installation reflects the ambivalence of proximity and inaccessibility, ubiquity and placelessness. While the rotating image shows a mesmerizing landscape, viewers must pedal to catch a glimpse of the ground.
© Sara Bravin
Sara Bravin (IT), Alessandro Bravin (IT), Time-Based Media
What Does the Skin Remember?
“What does the skin remember?” is a performance-based research project featuring two performers wearing custom-made wearables. Inspired by contact improvisation, it explores touch as a means of listening and connecting through movement. Every touch leaves a sonic trail that persists, recurs, and changes over time, thereby creating a shared soundscape. The project explores how touch and sound shape memory, movement, and relationships, opening up new ways of perceiving and remembering.
The Kunstuni Campus team consists of initiator and co-curator Manu Naveau, professor of Critical Data/Interface Cultures at the Institute for Media; Hess Jeon, co-curator and project manager; and the project management team, consisting of Sylvia Leitner, Alexander Wöran, Gudrun Oberndorfer, Vladislav Nazarov, Sofia Talanti, Gustiele Fistarol, Martina Pizzigoni, Alex Fallica, and Nami Kirn. Paul Eis is responsible for the architecture of the installation on the main square, which was realized with the kind support of Linz AG; the concept for the visual design was developed by MOOI Design.
Participating departments at the University of Art and Design Linz:
Fine Arts, Design and Technology, Industrial Design, Interface Cultures, PhD Program, Plastic Concepts / Ceramics, Postdigital Lutherie, Space & Design Strategies, Textile.Art.Design, Visual Communication, Time-Based Media, Time-Based and Interactive Media Art.
Contributions from the following partner universities:
Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, National Tsing Hua University, Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design UMPRUM, Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts (XAFA), Kyoto City University of Arts, Hong Kong UST CMA, Hong Kong UST Division of Arts and Machine Creativity, TU Berlin, Hong Kong Design Institute, LASALLE College of the Arts, Bauhaus University Weimar, Estonian Academy of Arts, Basel Academy of Arts and Design, K-Arts, Sungkyunkwan University, Taipei National University of the Arts, Zurich ZHDK, Southern University of Science and Technology / School of Design Shenzhen, WRO Art Center Poland, Media Lab / Iberoamérica, VCUarts Qatar.
All details about the Kunstuni Campus @ ARS ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL
Exhibition and event venues:
University of Art and Design Linz, locations: Hauptplatz 6, Hauptplatz 8, Domgasse 1, and Hauptplatz Linz
Opening of the Kunstuni Campus 2026
, featuring Rector Brigitte Hütter, Co-Curator Manuela Naveau, Gerfried Stocker, Artistic Director of Ars Electronica, and many more.
Tuesday, September 8, 5:00 p.m.
Followed by (5:30 p.m.): Sound Campus “
”at the University of Art and Design Linz, Hauptplatz 6, inner courtyard
Exhibition Hours
Locations: Hauptplatz 6 & 8, Domgasse 1
Tue, Sept. 8, 2026, 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Wed, September 9 through Sat, September 12, 26, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. each day
Sun, September 13, 26, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Free guided tours in German or English
Meeting point: University of Art and Design Linz, Hauptplatz 6, ground floor, Kunstuni Campus Welcome Desk (Infopoint)
Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, 5:00 PM to approx. 6:00 PM
Sound Campus
University of Art and Design Linz, Hauptplatz 6, inner courtyard
Tue, Sept. 8 & Wed, Sept. 9, 2026, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Thu, Sept. 10, 2026, 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Flood the Zone with Courage
Hauptplatz Linz (between Neptunbrunnen and Dreifaltigkeitssäule)
Wed – Sat, between 12.00 p.m. – 8.00 p.m.
Sun, 12 p.m. – 6.00 p.m.
The complete program can be found at
ausstellungen.kunstuni-linz.at/campus26
