RENDEZ-VOUS

Artists: BC-A, Cousines Like Shit, Farah Deen, Christian Falsnæs, Fennesz, Julia Frank, Valerie Fritz, Oliver Hangl, Léann Herlihy, Alexandra Kontriner, Felix Kramer, Lens Kühleitner, Roland Maurmair, Olivia Mitterhuemer, Sabine Mitterecker, museum in progress (with Ghada Amer, Minerva Cuevas, Shilpa Gupta, Agnieszka Kurant, Hans Schabus, Sun Xu), Oliver Ressler, SanDaLe Vibes, Wendelien van Oldenborgh, Clemens von Wedemeyer, Guillermo Tellechea, Isaac Chong Wai, Juliane Werner, Yasmo, and more

Curated by Chris Clarke, Franziska Heubacher, Tereza Kotyk

The 2026 INNSBRUCK INTERNATIONAL. Biennial of the Arts presents RENDEZ-VOUS, a collective gathering in a time of political, social, and ecological transformation. Over ten days, an interconnected constellation of performances, concerts, installations, workshops, conversations, and interventions unfolds – an invitation shared equally by artists and audiences.

Centred in Innsbruck’s Marktplatz, RENDEZ-VOUS proposes a space of encounter, negotiation, and performative experience, encouraging open dialogue and reflection on ideas of individual agency, responsibility, and new forms of coexistence. An exhibition space and information point occupies the square, featuring a new iteration of Guillermo Tellechea’s Cinématons project: one-shot, Super-8 portraits of Tyrolean artists Valerie Fritz, Alexandra Kontriner, and Roland Maurmair, and an installation of six works from raising flags, an ongoing series of artist commissions curated by museum in progress, which includes flags by Ghada Amer, Minerva Cuevas, Shilpa Gupta, Agnieszka Kurant, Hans Schabus, and Sun Xu.

The RENDEZ-VOUS live programme starts with Christian Falsnæs’ performance Collaboration at the Golden Roof, in Innsbruck's old town, which breaks down the barriers between artist and audience in order to reflect on individual and collective patterns of behavior. Austrian musician, composer, and sound artist Fennesz will perform in the Citykirche, immersing listeners in his unique fusion of fractured guitar and textured electronics, where melody, noise, and structure co-exist on equal terms. With a pedagogical discourse that spans from eighteenth-century Irish hedge schools to twenty-first-century school tours, Léann Herlihy invites participants on their Beyond Survival School Bus tour through the Alpine countryside to explore the polemic effects of ‘self-perseverance’ through the social practice of survivalism. In their performance Friend.shift, Farah Deen and Olivia Mitterhuemer embark on a journey through diverse (life) positions and movements. The artists also contribute a house dance masterclass, while Isaac Chong Wai leads the performance workshop Collective Individual Exercises at Innsbruck’s Musikpavillon, engaging in exercises that investigate personal expression and group dynamics.

At Innsbruck’s Leokino, a series of screenings and talks by contemporary artists address practices of collectivity and solidarity and includes: Wendelien van Oldenborgh (in conversation with Nina Tabassomi), Clemens von Wedemeyer (with Chris Clarke), and Oliver Ressler (with Lorena Moreno Vera). Oliver Hangl presents two new iterations of his Walking Concert series, which since 2013 has literally sent Austrian musicians and audiences onto the streets. The performances for RENDEZ-VOUS feature Felix Kramer and Cousines Like Shit, opening up new avenues through public and perhaps even private spaces in the city. Live DJ sets by SanDaLe vibes and BC-A will soundtrack the opening and closing weekends.

INNSBRUCK INTERNATIONAL will host the world premiere of a reading performance of the novel MALINA by Ingeborg Bachmann. Adapted by Sabine Mitterecker, the evening features Juliane Werner and live electronics by/with Lens Kühleitner. "Where Do We Go From Here?" is a special panel discussion that looks at arts festivals and biennials and how, in a context of political conflict, economic ruptures, and climate change, they can generate wider social engagement with these issues. Participants include Ekaterina Degot (Director and Chief Curator, steirischer herbst, Graz), and Katalin Erdődi and Aleksei Borisionok (co-curators, Biennale Matter of Art 2024, Prague). 

With the Special Recognition Award, INNSBRUCK INTERNATIONAL has established a platform to place emerging artists with a connection to Tyrol in an international context and to support their development and professional growth. The award also facilitates the production and presentation of new work. Previous recipients include Heidrun Sandbichler (2016), Addie Wagenknecht (2018), Julia Rhomberg (2020), Michael Strasser (2022) and Sophie Gogl (2024). Initiated by the biennial and designed by Swarovski Kristallwelten, the 2026 award is granted to artist Julia Frank, who will present an installation of new work at Neue Galerie for the duration of the biennial.


INNSBRUCK INTERNATIONAL 2026 is funded by the City of Innsbruck, the Province of Tyrol, Innsbruck Tourism, the Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport, and Culture Ireland.