January 1–June 30, 2026
The 2026 activities of Institution(ing)s, programmed by Universidade Católica Portuguesa, began with a series of international public presentations, residencies and labs in Lisbon, and the launch of a strand of online activities that will continue until 2028. Many other activities are being organised by all partners and can be found here.
Public presentations
February 25: MOCAK—Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow
March 31: Royal College of Art, London
Luísa Santos, artistic director of Institution(ing)s, presented the project at MOCAK in February and at the Royal College of Art in March. Addressing international audiences of artists, curators, and students, these sessions introduced the project’s conceptual and methodological framework for 2026.
Residency with MA Students in Design for Sustainability (FBAUL)
March 26: CAM—Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, Lisbon
Framed around the central question of design’s role in reinforcing institutional ecosystems, this residency functioned as a living laboratory for observation, analysis, and critical reflection. Students engaged directly with the museum environment, examining spatial dynamics, mediation strategies, and the relationships established between cultural institutions and their audiences.
Species-specific—the Body as an Acoustic Space
Residency by Mariana Pinto Coelho Dias
March 25–May 22: CAM—Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, Lisbon
Building on her previous work, Mariana Pinto Coelho Dias continues her investigation of the body as an acoustic ecosystem. Remaining open to creative contaminations and collaborations as gestures of poetic cohabitation, the residency expands her research into sound, corporeality, and relational environments.
Ephemeral permanences
Materials lab by ANTECÂMARA RÁDIO GALERIA
March 25–May 22: CAM–Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, Lisbon
Grounded in material research as a critical field, this materials lab examines the role of cultural institutions within the ecological transition. It proposes the exhibition as an evolving framework in which materiality, reversibility, and environmental responsibility shape contemporary cultural production.
Online activities
March 2026–October 2028: institutionings.eu
The project’s digital strand includes an online glossary, seals recognizing good institutional practices, and a series of campaigns. The glossary, edited by Cindy Sissokho and designed by Denise Santos, gathers critical contributions that deepen key concepts underpinning Institution(ing)s. The seals acknowledge exemplary practices by art institutions in Europe and beyond, nominated by independent cultural workers, fostering peer recognition and accountability. Three online campaigns, developed by Rita Ouedraogo, Kathrin Böhm, and Dehlia Hannah, expand the project’s participatory and advocacy dimensions.
Mónica de Miranda—Jardins da Princesa
Seed archive and community garden
March 2026–October 2028: Online; MAC-CCB—Museu de Arte Contemporânea do Centro Cultural de Belém; HANGAR, Lisbon
Developed within Mónica de Miranda’s broader project Jardins da Princesa, this research unfolds in both physical and digital forms. The initiative encourages reflection on the ecologies of the urban periphery and on collective practices of care, cultivation, and knowledge-sharing, linking environmental awareness with social engagement. Activities include Ecomancy: A Garden of Forking Paths, an interactive installation by Jemma Foster at HANGAR, on April 28 - 29; and a Creative Writing with Yara Nakahanda Monteiro for an Archive of Living Seeds, at HANGAR, on May 12 and 19.
What We Can(‘t) Hold public programme
April 29–June 30: Amélia de Mello Foundation Gallery, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon
Curated by MA and PhD students in Culture Studies at The Lisbon Consortium, this exhibition examines fragility from personal, structural, and frictional perspectives, drawing on works from the CAM collection. The public programme includes a workshop for children aged 8 to 11, focused on collaboratively writing captions for the exhibited works, fostering early critical engagement.
Speculative Futures workshop
June 24–25: Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, Lisbon
Through artist talks by Onome Ekeh, Sondi, and Marion C. Bouvier, alongside a hands-on creative session, participants are invited to engage critically with processes of future-making and collective speculation.
Institution(ing)s
Coordinated by Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and composed of eight organizations of different scales, impacts, and target audiences across seven European countries, the Institution(ing)s encourages contemporary art and cultural organisations to co-create innovative institutional models.
Co-funded by the European Union, the views expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA); neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
