Summary
- Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno unveiled a new exhibition, Ancestral Futures, at Haus der Kunst in Munich, Germany
- Running until February 2027, the showcase explores humanity’s entangled relationship with plants, animals, and atmospheres
- Two of the artist’s research initiatives, Aerocene and Arachnophilia, alongside a new land art commission created with Indigenous communities in Northern Argentina ground the presentation
Tomás Saraceno’s new exhibition at Haus der Kunst encourages visitors to imagine different ways of life. Titled Ancestral Futures and open until February 7, 2027, the show by the Argentine artist turns the Munich museum into a vibrant, living space that blends art, architecture, science, and traditional Indigenous wisdom.
For the past twenty years, this artist has been developing a unique approach to art that prioritizes the environment. His work reimagines how humans connect with nature – including plants, animals, and even the air around us – especially focusing on spiders. He suggests ways for living things to cooperate instead of simply taking resources from the world.
The exhibition features two major projects Saraceno has been working on for years: Aerocene and Arachnophilia. He started Aerocene in 2015 as a collaborative effort to explore ways of living and traveling without relying on fossil fuels. This research evolved into sculptures that utilize air, solar energy, radiation, and infrared technology.
Arachnophilia explores the fascinating behaviors of spiders, particularly their intricate webs. This interest directly inspired the artist’s own large-scale, net-like installations, like the one currently on display called “Towards the Sanctuary of Water.”
The show features the premiere of a significant new work, “El Santuario del Agua (The Sanctuary of Water),” developed with the 11 Indigenous communities of Red Atacama and Las Salinas Grandes in Northern Argentina. This project explores the social and environmental impacts of lithium mining on the region.
In a recent essay about the exhibition Ancestral Futures, curator and museum director Andrea Lissoni explained that it encourages viewers to consider how things relate to each other instead of focusing on individual items. He writes that the show explores how shared creation shapes what comes next – “Here, futures happen because they are made together.”
You can currently see the exhibit in Munich, Germany; it will be open until February 7, 2027. Visit the Haus der Kunst website to find out more about Ancestral Futures.
Haus der Kunst
Prinzregentenstraße 1,
80538 München-Altstadt-Lehel,
Germany
2026-07-21 22:26