BOLZANO.- Museion announced its 2026 program, positioning itself as a cultural engine for South Tyrol. Here, contemporary art and culture are not merely displayed; they drive social innovation and help imagine new models for society, developed together with the region’s emerging creative community. In 2026, the new public campaign Museiopolis—inspired by the idea of the polis as a shared civic life—will highlight cosmopolitan culture as a force for both urban and rural development. Through strategic collaboration and investment in cultural infrastructure across the province, Museion’s program will create tangible pathways for communities, strengthening their connection to South Tyrol’s future and enriching everyday life as well as the visitor experience.

At the heart of this vision stands THE SOFTEST HARD, Museion’s research line—now in its second year—dedicated to exploring art as an urban and social practice, and as a form of non-violent resistance. It approaches softness as a strength, a basis for democracy, solidarity and empowerment. Conceived as a space for shared knowledge production, THE SOFTEST HARD investigates how artistic practices can activate forms of urban agency, reclaiming lived spaces for community building and social engagement.

This framework takes shape through exhibitions and projects distinguished by collaborative methodologies, by their anchoring in international networks of institutions and partnerships, and by their commitment to socially engaged practice—for example, exhibitions developed within global institutional constellations, outreach programs connecting art and health, and long-term institutional partnerships such as the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro. Scuola di Alta Formazione e Studio di Roma e Matera and the Master’s program entitled FOAM—Future of Art Museums.

“Museion is both a custodian and a shaper of cultural heritage. Our mission is to weave heritage into the living fabric of the territory—not as something preserved at a distance, but as a force that evolves through solidarity, participation, and artistic imagination. With THE SOFTEST HARD and Museiopolis, we aim to dissolve the old polarity between centre and periphery, building a cultural ecosystem where ideas circulate freely. This is what we work for every day through our exhibitions and the embedded work of Museion Art Club, Museion Academy, our mediation programs and institutional partnerships.” —Bart van der Heide, Director of Museion

Highlights of 2026

Museion’s international exhibition program will bring major artistic voices to South Tyrol and position Bolzano as a springboard for international visibility. Highlights include exhibitions by Franco Vaccari, Evelyn Taocheng Wang, Rammellzee, Som Supaparinya, and Luigi Zuccheri. These exhibitions explore the intersections of memory, identity, and transformation, while also introducing new contemporary practices: making their debut in Italy and repositioning historic figures within a contemporary and international discourse. Through its global network and sustained research, Museion actively leverages its platform to elevate these artists’ profiles within current artistic practice, ensuring that both emerging and historically significant voices gain renewed visibility and relevance. THE SOFTEST HARD’s critical engagement with graffiti expands internationally with the second iteration of Museion’s graffiti exhibition at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht in autumn 2026.

Beside these presentations, the group exhibition What We Carry, part of the Cultural Olympiad 2026 which was inaugurated in November 2025, will celebrate the year of the Winter Olympic Games with a reflection on the relationship between art and sport, cultural identity and living legacy.

In 2026, Museion continues its collaboration with the Han Nefkens Foundation, which supports Southeast Asian video artists in expanding their international practice, highlighting the museum's ongoing commitment to artistic exchange and the promotion of contemporary video art.

The museum continues its commitment to advancing contemporary artistic research through the international presentation tour of Lucia Marcucci. Tutto qui?, the first major monograph dedicated to the influential visual poet. Developed by Museion in collaboration with Ar/Ge Kunst and supported by the Italian Council, the tour runs from late 2025 through June 2026, with stops across Italy and Europe that highlight Marcucci’s radical exploration of the relationship between word and image.

Parallel programs across 2026 will focus on social wellbeing, inclusivity, and community engagement. Through projects such as Museion Art Club and Museion Academy, the museum empowers young creatives, fosters collaboration across disciplines, and nurtures new forms of shared authorship.

These initiatives aim to dissolve barriers between cultural production and everyday life, transforming Museion into a platform where creativity, learning, and wellbeing intertwine. Following on from previous years, these lifelong learning practices include the In Context, Erzähltreff, and Museion Ink programs, along with many other accessible formats offered by the museum’s education and mediation department.