LOVE

Each autumn, 24 Vienna-based galleries invite international curators to respond to a yearly-changing theme in the form of an exhibition, reflecting on the most pressing issues of our time. Under the title LOVE, the 17th edition will take place September 11–October 17, 2026, transforming the city of Vienna into a hub for international critical discourse and artistic experimentation.

Rooted in collaboration between galleries and initiated to foster international exchange, curated by offers an overview of the multifaceted landscape of contemporary art. 

On Love
Essay by Ariana Reines
“My heart beats—therefore I am,” writes poet Ariana Reines.

“If 24 art galleries in the city of Vienna, the birthplace of psychoanalysis, the city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, need to recruit an American poet to write to them about love, it means we are really in trouble.  

I can’t say I know anything about love, except that when I clamor to its heights, to paraphrase Yeats, I see how stupidly, how wrongly, and how narrowly I’ve lived in light of it.

Love is an experience, not an object.  I don’t feel the need to redefine it: I am satisfied with its mystery and with everything the Greek philosophers and the mystics of the world have explained to us about it.

I will simply say that our problem, currently, is one of orientation.  It may be that we are living through a period of such spiritual squalor, such moral depravity that people really do need to be reminded that love is, in fact, something good and praiseworthy– a viable subject or focus for art–

but the real issue at hand is that love is no longer central, no longer foundational to the structure of our societies.  We are rotten at the core and we know it.”

Read the full essay to learn more about this year’s topic.

Participating galleries and curators
Charim Galerie by Tamar Margalit
City Galerie by Gaylord Fine Arts
Crone Wien by Andrea Kopranovic
Croy Nielsen by Milan Ther
E X I L E by Francesca Gavin & Adam Nankervis
FELIX GAUDLITZ by Jason Dodge
Galerie Martin Janda by Jan Mot
Galerie Kandlhofer by Anna Roberta Goetz
Christine König Galerie by Max Dax
Krinzinger Schottenfeld by Chus Martínez
Galerie Krobath by Christian Egger
Layr by Lou von der Heyde
Lombardi—Kargl by João Laia
GIANNI MANHATTAN TBA
MEYER*KAINER by Andreas Reiter Raabe
Gregor Podnar by Daniel Muzyczuk
Galerie nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder by Anya Harrison
Shore by Amalia Ulman
Galerie Steinek by Julika Bosch
SOPHIE TAPPEINER by Jean-Rodolphe Petter, with Oriane Emery
Galerie Elisabeth & Klaus Thoman by Benedikt Wyss
VIN VIN by Marta Papini
Galerie Hubert Winter by Théo-Mario Coppola
Zeller van Almsick by Franz Thalmair

About curated by
Founded in 2009 as a platform for artistic exchange, funded by the city of Vienna and led by its galleries, curated by is a unique initiative celebrating artists while fostering international critical discourse. Rooted in collaboration among galleries and taking the form of a city-wide festival, curated by provides exceptional exhibitions and an encompassing experience of Vienna and its galleries, welcoming visitors from around the world to the city.

Festival Directors
From May 2025, curated by has welcomed Attilia Fattori Franchini and Christina Linher as Co-directors of the festival.

Festival HQ
For the 2026 edition curated by is excited to announce mumok as the official Festival HQ. 
At mumok, visitors will find information about the festival and its events, all tours will start there, and one can enjoy the museum’s exhibition. This initiative aims to reinforce curated by's exchange and collaboration with Viennese institutions and the city‘s larger cultural landscape.

curated by 2026
LOVE
Opening weekend: September 11, 12–9 pm; September 12, 13, 2026, 11–6 pm
Festival: September 15–October 17, 2026

For further details about the exhibitions, the opening weekend program of events, the artists and curators-led tours, and the podcasts (Spotify / Apple Podcast), please visit curatedby.at.