ART CITY Bologna 2026 is Here: Art and Knowledge at the University
From 5 to 8 February, over three hundred events will turn the entire city into a city-wide stage devoted to contemporary culture. Taking centre stage this year is the Special Programme The Body of Language, developed through a dedicated collaboration with the University of Bologna
"We are particularly proud to host ART CITY's new Special Programme, which we strongly supported and which will bring new perspectives not only to some of our most cherished locations, but also to unusual and little-known spaces within the University of Bologna"
ART CITY Bologna will be back from 5 to 8 February 2026, reaching its fourteenth edition and confirming its status as one of the most anticipated events dedicated to contemporary art. Promoted by the Municipality of Bologna with the support of BolognaFiere, the event offers an increasingly broad and varied programme, capable of involving citizens and visitors in a widespread cultural experience.
Directed for the ninth consecutive year by Lorenzo Balbi, director of MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art of Bologna, part of the Civic Museums Sector of the Municipality of Bologna, ART CITY Bologna 2026 has the Hera Group as its main sponsor.
In keeping with tradition, ART CITY Bologna will take place alongside Arte Fiera, jointly inaugurating the 49th edition of the fair, scheduled for 6–8 February 2026 and entitled Cosa sarà (What will be).
A distinctive feature of this year's edition is the Special Programme, entitled Il corpo della lingua (The Body of Language), which follows in the footsteps of experimentation through the curatorship of Caterina Molteni. The programme invites Italian and international artists – Giulia Deval, Mike Kelley, Ana Mendieta, Alexandra Pirici, Augustas Serapinas, Jenna Sutela and Nora Turato – to intervene in spaces not usually intended for exhibition purposes, places forgotten or little known to the general public, exploring training and teaching as physiological and sensitive experiences. In this perspective, the 2026 edition presents a special collaboration with the Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, the leading municipal institution dedicated to knowledge, dialogue and change, further strengthening the link between the event and the cultural and civic fabric of the city.
"Experiencing the University of Bologna has always meant enjoying its spaces and the city itself: it is a central element of our University's identity and value. This explains why we are particularly proud to host ART CITY's new Special Programme, which we strongly supported and which will bring new perspectives not only to some of our most cherished locations, but also to unusual and little-known spaces within the University of Bologna. The artistic contributions to the project “Il corpo della lingua” (The Body of Language) reveal how the creation and transmission of knowledge are inevitably physical and concrete experiences, rooted in our very humanity, offering us new opportunities to reflect on the mechanisms of educational processes and the nature of educational settings. “It will be a unique opportunity to discover a new face of our University,” says Giovanni Molari, Rector of the Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna.
On the days of the event, the entire city is transformed into a sprawling stage dedicated to contemporary culture. More than three hundred appointments, including exhibitions, performances, talks, installations and events promoted by public and private entities, restore the vitality and richness of Bologna's art scene. In this continuous dialogue between museums, galleries, independent spaces and production realities, ART CITY Bologna also plays a central role in territorial promotion, contributing to outlining the image of Bologna as an open, dynamic and generous cultural workshop, where art, community and history intertwine.
"With ART CITY Bologna 2026, we have chosen to focus on the theme of education and the transmission of knowledge, establishing a dialogue between contemporary art and the Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna. The Special Programme Il corpo della lingua (The Body of Language), curated by Caterina Molteni, travels through emblematic locations in the city to convey the idea of embodied, sensitive and constantly changing knowledge, reaffirming the role of ART CITY as a project for cultural dissemination and promotion of the local area" explains Lorenzo Balbi, Artistic Director of ART CITY Bologna 2026.
The complete programme, with selected exhibitions and events, is available at www.artcity.bologna.it.