Seeds / The Institute of Queer Ecology: I Wish We Had More Time

Following the successful conclusion of Klima Biennale Wien 2026, KunstHausWien continues to explore its central themes through a range of ongoing projects. The museum addresses the pressing issues of our time through two compelling exhibitions that examine the relationship between humanity and nature across the past, present, and future, as well as the experiences of loss, change, and renewal. These multifaceted projects—Seeds: Reclaiming Roots, Sowing Futures and The Institute of Queer Ecology’s I Wish We Had More Time—interweave ecological, social, and personal  perspectives.

From April 10, 2026, to February 14, 2027, Seeds: Reclaiming Roots, Sowing Futures focuses on the seed as the origin of all life. Seeds ensure food security and biodiversity, preserve cultural knowledge, and simultaneously represent hope, transformation, and future possibilities. The exhibition brings together fourteen international artists who explore the seed from ecological, historical, and symbolic perspectives, addressing current issues surrounding the climate crisis, migration, colonialism, and food sovereignty.

The works on display combine art, activism, and ecological research. Sculptures, installations, photographs, and video works speak of loss and preservation, of resilience and regeneration. They address Indigenous knowledge systems, forms of solidarity in coexistence, and the importance of collective responsibility in a time of global upheaval. In this context, the seed unfolds as a powerful metaphor: it carries both memory and the future within itself, pointing to the complex interconnections between humans and the environment.

Participating artists are Ackroyd & Harvey, Maria Thereza Alves, Alexandra Baumgartner, Tue Greenfort, Kapwani Kiwanga, Dominique Koch, Jumana Manna, Christian Kosmas Mayer, Marzia Migliora, Lucía Pizzani, Michaela Putz, Cecilia Vicuña, and Munem Wasif. A companion publication has been released by Spector Books, Leipzig.

At the same time, The Institute of Queer Ecology explores the various dimensions of loss in its exhibition I Wish We Had More Time. The premise of the exhibition is the realization that all life is shaped by change: ecological systems fall out of balance, social structures transform, and personal relationships are subject to transience. Loss is thus seen not only as a painful experience, but also as a starting point for new forms of solidarity and care.

A total of thirty-four contributions—by artists, scientists, authors, musicians, and performers—explore these themes through drawings, photographs, videos, sound works, objects, and texts. The contributions engage in an open dialogue, creating a polyphonic network of memories, longing, fragility, and hope. At the center of the exhibition space is the Orrery of Interconnected Loss, a sculptural reinterpretation of a mechanical planetary system. Individual stories become part of a shared queer-ecological cosmology that understands loss not as an end, but as a cyclical process between disappearance and return. With contributions by Ramiro Ávila Macias, Maya Björnson, daniela brill estrada, Jevon Brown, Alice Bucknell, Christine Alice Cortes Cañon, Sasha Fishman, Ivana Franke & Oriana Walker, Andrea Grill with Cristina Budroni, Anwyn Howarth, Sabrina Imbler, JASCHA&FRANZ, Andre Naranjo, Alina Perez, Aura Raulo & Topi Raulo & Lotta Taarasti, Jasmine Respess, Virginia G. Ruiz, Micah Schippa-Wildfong, Evan Silver aka Tiresias, misael soto, A.L. Steiner, Laurencia Strauss, Sun Belt, Wolfy Sunset with Cassidy Sundance, Fereshteh Toosi, Yuri Tuma, Untitled Queen, LuLu Victoria-Lacy, Vicens Vila-Coury, Jessica Ware, Oscar Wilson, Cy X, Haiwen Yu, agustine zegers.

With these two exhibitions, KunstHausWien has created a space for reflection on the challenges of the present and possible perspectives for the future. Art serves as a medium that reveals global connections, opens alternative ways of thinking, and imagines new forms of coexistence.

The exhibitions are accompanied by a Public Programme: KunstHausWien Events & Programme—Calendar / KunstHausWien—Museum Hundertwasser.